Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has the raw ingredients to be as good as Manchester United hero Peter Schmeichel, according to Wayne Rooney.
Ramsdale has established himself as Arsenal's number one since joining the club in a £30million transfer from Sheffield United in 2021. That transfer fee was questioned by some at the time, but the 24-year-old has changed that perception through some outstanding performances.
He has been an ever-present in goal for the Gunners this season, keeping 12 clean sheets in 32 matches. Ramsdale was at fault for Southampton’s opening goal in the damaging 3-3 draw on Friday, giving the ball away to Carlos Alcaraz, but Rooney believes his personality and presence on the pitch are attributes that can see him go far.
“I’m a big fan of Aaron Ramsdale,” Rooney wrote for The Times. “Despite his slip-up against Southampton, he has made a number of fantastic saves and played with huge presence.
“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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Arsenal have drawn their past three Premier League matches to see their lead over Manchester City shrink to five points, with Pep Guardiola’s side having two games in hand. The two sides meet in a huge showdown at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday which could go a long way to deciding the title race.
Rooney is backing Ramsdale to pick himself up from the poor showing against Saints and get Arsenal back on track for a first title since 2004.
He wrote: “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’s mistake against Southampton came within the opening minute and gave the Gunners an uphill battle. He tried to play out from the back, but passed straight to Alcaraz, who kept his cool to make it 1-0.
"It’s a mess from Aaron Ramsdale, there’s no doubt about that,” Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports. "From the goalkeeper, it’s really poor. He’s got to save it... Alcaraz does brilliantly to read the pass and get the shot off but he wouldn’t have expected to score that, and he shouldn’t score. Ramsdale gets that right hand on it, he should be dealing with it, he should be stronger."
