Douglas Luiz is 'likely' to drop out of the Aston Villa starting XI against Leicester City if Jacob Ramsey is fit, according to The Birmingham Mail's John Townley. 

The lowdown

The 23-year-old was Villa's third-highest rated player in their 2-1 midweek loss against Manchester City (via SofaScore), when the £52,000-per-week Brazilian made his first start under Steven Gerrard.

He picked up a 7.3/10 rating from SofaScore, having set up Ollie Watkins' goal shortly after half-time, while Townley's colleague Ashley Preece handed him a 7.5, describing him as a 'standout operator in Villa's engine room'.

The latest

While Luiz was 'impressive' against his former club, The Birmingham Mail's Townley reckons that Gerrard will 'smell blood' and select a more attack-minded player in Ramsey if indeed the youngster is fit to feature.

Elsewhere, the journalist expects Anwar El-Ghazi to come into the front three in the place of the injured Leon Bailey.

The verdict

It would perhaps be harsh to drop Luiz to the substitutes' bench off the back of his display on Wednesday night, but Gerrard will want to do all he can to return to winning ways after City halted his early momentum.

Also, we shouldn't forget that Ramsey has been impressive under the new boss as well. Indeed, the 20-year-old might well have started against City had it not been for a minor 'niggle'.

He delivered a 7.1/10 display against Crystal Palace last weekend, winning five of his seven ground duels and completing 25 of his 30 passes.

The decision between Ramsey and Luiz presents Gerrard with a pleasant selection headache for Sunday's visit of Leicester.

In other news, Ashley Preece has shared a transfer update on Leon King