Wayne Rooney has heaped praise on Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale (Pictures: Getty)
Wayne Rooney says he is a ‘big fan’ of Aaron Ramsdale and has compared the Arsenal goalkeeper to Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel.
Eyebrows were raised when Arsenal spent £30m to sign Ramsdale from Sheffield United in 2021.
The English goalkeeper had been relegated from the Premier League twice and it was not immediately clear if Ramsdale would dislodge Bernd Leno as Arsenal’s No. 1.
But Mikel Arteta put his faith in Ramsdale at the start of last season and the 24-year-old quickly began to prove his doubters wrong, impressive with his shot-saving and ball-playing abilities.
Ramsdale has been one of Arsenal’s key players this term, helping the Gunners mount a surprising Premier League title challenge and move four points clear of defending champions Manchester City.
That lead could have been even greater but Arsenal have picked up just three points from their last three games and required two late goals to avoid defeat against bottom-placed Southampton on Friday night.
Ramsdale was at fault for Southampton’s opener at the Emirates but Rooney has nevertheless heaped praise on the Arsenal shot-stopper and likened him to Manchester United great Schmeichel.
Peter Schmeichel made almost 400 appearances for Manchester United (Picture: Getty)
Schmeichel is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the history of the Premier League, having won five league titles, three FA Cups and the Champions League during his spell at Old Trafford.
‘I’m a big fan of Aaron Ramsdale,’ Manchester United and England record goalscorer Rooney told The Times.
‘Despite his slip-up against Southampton, he has made a number of fantastic saves and played with huge presence.
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‘Normally, with goalkeepers, you want them to have character and presence but you want them to have calmness as well.
‘If you’re going to be as vocal and extrovert as Ramsdale, you have to back it up with your performances, because otherwise it all looks a bit cocky.
‘Well, he does and he reminds me of Peter Schmeichel. Obviously, Ramsdale has to keep improving to get near Schmeichel’s levels but the whole package makes him the closest thing I’ve seen for a long time to the Great Dane.
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‘He won’t be fazed by Erling Haaland and Mikel Arteta will want his defenders to play without fear against the Norwegian too, maybe even have little nibbles at him to wind him up, for Haaland does have a bit of an edge and you might just provoke a reaction.’
Ramsdale and Arsenal will be desperate to boost their fading Premier League title hopes on Wednesday when they face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola’s side, who have two games in hand, beat Sheffield United 3-0 on Sunday to reach the FA Cup final as they chase a historic treble.
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‘He won’t be fazed by Erling Haaland.’