Former Manchester United striker and current Derby County manager Wayne Rooney has come out in support of Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. Rooney believes that Ramsdale’s talent is on par with the likes of Manchester United icon Peter Schmeichel, despite the young goalkeeper’s recent missteps at Arsenal.
Ramsdale joined Arsenal in the summer of 2021 from Sheffield United, where he had impressed in the Premier League despite his team’s relegation. The 24-year-old was brought in to provide competition for Bernd Leno, but has quickly established himself as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper.
In recent weeks, Ramsdale has been called upon in some important matches for Arsenal. His performance against Liverpool, where he made several key saves to earn his team a point, was particularly impressive. However, since then, Ramsdale’s performances have been called into question.
In Arsenal’s match against West Ham, Ramsdale was criticized for his failure to stop Jarrod Bowen’s equalizer. In the following match against Southampton, Ramsdale’s error in the opening seconds of the game led to Carlos Alcaraz scoring for the opposition.
Despite these recent missteps, Rooney has praised Ramsdale for his performances and believes that the young goalkeeper has the potential to reach the heights of Peter Schmeichel, one of the greatest goalkeepers in Manchester United’s history.
Rooney believes that Ramsdale’s combination of character, presence, and calmness is reminiscent of Schmeichel’s playing style. He also praised Ramsdale’s vocal and extroverted personality, but cautioned that the young goalkeeper must back it up with consistent performances to avoid appearing cocky.
He told the Times: ‘I’m a big fan of Aaron Ramsdale. 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.”
Rooney’s endorsement of Ramsdale is particularly significant given his status as a Manchester United legend. The former striker’s comparison of Ramsdale to Schmeichel is high praise indeed, and suggests that the young goalkeeper has a bright future ahead of him.
