Graeme Souness has given his verdict on Arsenal and England international goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdal, who finds himself in a selection dilemma under Mikel Arteta.
The former Liverpool midfielder turned pundit says that Ramsdale needs to follow the example of Manchester United defender Harry Maguire if he wants to get back into contention to play ahead of David Raya.
Souness notes how Maguire is starting to find form again for United after almost leaving the club during the summer. However, he warns Ramsdale to be patient during this tough patch and has urged him not to let his father fight for him in the media because that rarely ends well.
In his Daily Mail column, Souness wrote: “It is time for Aaron Ramsdale to do his own fighting, rather than his dad doing it for him after his appearance on a podcast this week.
“The Arsenal goalkeeper has to show what he is made of and deal with the situation in which he finds himself. Mikel Arteta fancies David Raya more than he does Ramsdale right now, but that can change.
“I would ask him to look at the example of Harry Maguire. He took all the criticism on the chin, all the disappointment. He dealt with it and finds himself back in the team at Manchester United.
“Scott McTominay, too. He was being pushed out the door at the start of the season, and now he’s in the side. That’s football.
“For Ramsdale, this a tough, mental challenge. He cannot point to anything he’s done wrong on a consistent basis that has cost him his place in the team.
“Sport at the highest level can be cruel and can be seen to be unfair. But there is only one person who can right that perceived injustice — and it’s not Ramsdale’s dad.”
Who thought at the beginning of the season that pundits would be using Maguire as an example for other Premier League players? Well, here we are and I’m enjoying his turnaround story.
Maguire can now play for England again without people questioning whether he should be on the pitch because I don’t think any of Gareth Southgate’s centre-backs have preferred better this season.
Ramsdale will have a decision to make on his future at the end of the season if he can’t get Raya out of the side, but this time last year nobody thought he’d be dropped as first choice keeper at the Emirates.
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