Ahead of the visit to his old club Cardiff City in the F.A. Cup, Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger highlighted the importance of young Aaron Ramsey, with the Frenchman telling Arsenal’s official magazine:

I believe that it’s better to make the step at that age than five or six years later. He has not only made the step up from the Championship to the Premier League, but also to a Premier League team that wants to be at the top and who fights in the Champions League, and that means it’s a massive difference at such a young age.

I believe he did extremely well because he has drive and he can push the team forward. He is always available, he wants the ball and he is very dynamic in his play. Overall I’m very pleased with his progress because I must say that he is ahead of where I planned for him to be in January. You have to remember though that he is still only just 18 years of age and you need to be a little bit patient with him.

He has shown that every time we’ve picked him, he has responded in a very positive way.

The Welshman made 15 appearances for Arsenal this season, in which he also found the net in the Champions League match against Fenerbahce.