Mikel Arteta believes Gareth Southgate should pick Aaron Ramsdale in his England team for the upcoming European Championships even though he lost his place in the Arsenal team.
The 25-year-old has been replaced as the main goalkeeper for Arsenal by David Raya but the Spanish player on loan is not allowed to play against his parent club Brentford in Saturday’s Premier League match.
This has given Ramsdale a rare opportunity to make an impression – and it will be his first league start since November, when Raya also had to step down in the reverse fixture against Brentford.
Ramsdale has previously talked about his concerns of missing out on a spot at Euro 2024 due to his limited playing time, but Arteta believes he has demonstrated enough to be part of Southgate’s team regardless.
Speaking before the match, Arteta said: ‘I don’t know how Gareth [Southgate] is thinking, but if I put myself in that situation and consider how I make a decision, I would evaluate Aaron based on not just one day but on his performance over the last two or three seasons and the consistency and quality he has shown.
‘There would be no reason for me to make a different decision.’
He also said: ‘A player has to be himself and one of Aaron's greatest qualities is his character, charisma, enthusiasm, and energy.
‘He is infectious with that. You cannot control that. That's just who he is.’
When asked about his lack of playing time, Ramsdale himself said earlier this season: ‘Yes, of course. This is the first time I have found myself in this situation. The [England] manager is great, he trusts the players he’s worked with before.
‘Kalvin [Phillips] and Harry [Maguire] haven’t played the most minutes, but when they play for England and are given the chance, they deliver.
‘So, if that’s the case for myself, and I do get that trust to play another game if I haven’t played for my club, then I will have to repay him.
‘But, of course, I want to get back into my club team and be able to give [Southgate] something to think about, instead of just having Jordan as the No.1 and me being sidelined.’
At one point, Ramsdale was competing with Jordan Pickford for the No.1 position with England, but the Everton goalkeeper now holds that spot, while Sam Johnstone has been performing well for Crystal Palace, Nick Pope could return to action before the end of the season, and Jack Butland has been impressive for Rangers.
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