Former Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey opens up on his love for the club: "It's still a massive part of me..."

Aaron Ramsey has admitted he is cheering Arsenal on in the Premier League title race as his former club holds a special place in his heart.

In a list of great Premier League players that didn't quite reach the heights they perhaps should have done, Ramsey is surely near the top.

The Welsh midfielder spent 11 years on Arsenal's books, and on his day was one of the best players in the world.

Ramsey had the honour of being the player to end Arsenal's nine-year wait for a major trophy, when he scored an extra-time winner in the 2014 FA Cup final.

However, a combination of injury struggles and Arsenal's inconsistency during the 2010s means he's never really received the recognition he deserves.

Now 32 and playing for Nice in France's Ligue 1, Ramsey can only watch from afar as his former club look to win the Premier League title for the first time since 2004.

Ramsey still loves Arsenal

Speaking about Arsenal's title challenge, as reported in the Evening Standard, the Wales captain was honest about where his loyalties lie.

"It is still a massive part of me," he said.

"I spent 10, 11 years there and for them to go on and win the league, I'm as much a fan as anybody.

"I still know so many players and members of staff there. The fans deserve it."

Ramsey praised the work done by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, but admitted that the manager's success has come as no surprise to him.

Ramsey and Arteta played in Arsenal's midfield together for five years, a period during which the Welshman saw the Spaniard's managerial potential.

"You could see his leadership qualities and the way that he handled himself was second to none," Ramsey said.

"What he is doing now, definitely, you could see he was always going to be a manager one day, the way he thought and saw the game and how intense he was as well.

“It is absolutely unbelievable what he has done there, what they are doing at the moment.”

Arteta took his coaching badges with the Welsh FA, and Ramsey said he had conversations with his former teammate about the prestigious academy.

"We used to talk about it and he would tell me how impressed he was with the Welsh setup, their methods and the way that they go about things," he added.

“They have done a fantastic job in producing some top managers and a lot of people are coming through that programme at the moment.”

Topics: Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey, Premier League, Manchester City, FA Cup

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a Sports Trends Writer at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He enjoys running, cooking and watching non-league football.

@alex_brotherton