Ramsey looks exceptional and has touch of the Gerrard's about his play

Having seen Aaron Ramsey three times in the last two weeks the first thing to mention is that he looks far stronger and more confident in his play than in the pre-season games where he looked to be tentatively adjusting to Arsenal and his new teammates.

The second thing to mention is that for a seventeen year old his physical levels is way beyond what his age would suggest them to be. He was the youngest player on the pitch in the recent Wales v England under 21 international play-off matches and yet he was the most dominating player on the pitch. I think I remember reading that he comes from a rugby league background and it appears that the strength and running power required for that physical sport has really treated Ramsey well in terms of physical conditioning comparative to his peers.

The third thing to mention is that Ramsey had a real presence on the pitch in the Wales games' - and the drive with which he spurred his team forward is a great pointer to him possessing a strong temperament and natural leadership qualities.

The fourth thing to mention is that his balance, the way he recevies a ball, passing technique and ability to time a pass is something to really take note of. The way he deliberately slides forwards passes reminds me of the technique used by Steven Gerrard. The timing of the through balls for Simon Church to run onto and score in both games was reminscent of Dennis Bergkamp!

The fifth thing to mention is that he can naturally shoot the ball from outside the box and looks to possess the sort of confidence that he truly believes he has the power and technique to use this consistently as a reliable weapon. Check out the effort for Wales below with his weaker foot (the third angle is the best one).



And then last night's unstoppable twenty yarder in Fenerbache to score his first Champions League goal in his first champions league match again displayed that Ramsey has the pure shooting power and steadfast striking technique to convince you that he will be a player who regularly will score from central midfield like Gerrard or Lampard.

The final thing to note is Ramsey's demeanour on the pitch is excellent - no snarling a'la Rooney and no immaturity a'la (insert your own choice of player here). He looks mature, professional, and focused in his actions. He looks like an individual to rely on to stay level-headed and this 'character-quality' is always something that you want to see when deciding how far someone will develop and progress in the game.

Not wishing to labour the comparison because every player is unique - but when watching Ramsey in the first leg of the Wales v England under 21 international I was reminded of hints of Steven Gerrard in his passing techinque, attacking drive from midfield, all-round running power and presence/leadership on the pitch. This image has been reinforced in the next two games I have seen Ramsey play in.

But I emphasise they are only hints. Ramsey is his own player and he is only at the beginning of his professional career. It'll be exciting to track the young Welshman's progress over this season and next because he really looks to be an exceptional central midfielder in the making.