Aaron Ramsey has been tipped to become one of the world’s best midfielders at Juventus – by the manager who gave him his senior debut.
The Arsenal star was just 16 years old when Dave Jones handed him his first-ever start for Cardiff as a late substitute against Hull in 2007.
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Dave Jones was a big believer in Aaron Ramsey at Cardiff
The pair spent the next season together before Ramsey completed a £5million move to the Gunners.
His 11-year stay at the Emirates will come to an end when he joins Italian giants Juventus on a free transfer on July 1.
When asked if the Wales international will be able to mix it with the elite, Jones, who managed Cardiff for six years from 2005, told talkSPORT: “I can’t see why not.
“You only had to watch him against Newcastle (a game he scored in) on Monday. He’s certainly got the football brain to compete with the very best.
“He’s played at the highest level at Euro 2016 and stood out. He’s been a top midfielder at Arsenal.
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Ramsey scored and captained Arsenal to a 2-0 win over Newcastle on Monday
“There’s no reason why that wouldn’t continue at Juventus. They haven’t picked him as an up and coming boy, they’ve picked an experienced player they know can play.
“They will be expecting a lot from Aaron, it’s not a case of ‘let’s wait and see how he develops,’ – he’s ready. They’ll be looking to gain from his experience.
“When you look at what some players are going for, it’s got to be the deal of the summer. I don’t see many players go on free transfers when they’re in their prime.
“I can’t think of any player being let go for nothing. He’s still relatively young, he’s got a lot of years ahead of him.
“He’s not an out-and-out quick player, he’s not going to lose anything, his football brain will always be there.â€
Ramsey still holds the record as the youngest-ever player to represent Cardiff at 16 years and 124 days.
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Ramsey excelled at his boyhood club
He played 21 times in his breakthrough 2007/08 season, including a substitute appearance in an FA Cup final defeat to Portsmouth.
Jones, 62, always knew Ramsey was destined for the top.
He continued: “When he started to train with the academy, we knew he was a player.
“We stopped him from playing any junior football at one stage and he just trained with the first-team.
“It wouldn’t be long before he was getting first-team games. We basically picked his games through that part of his career.
“He was so far ahead of the academy players, his passes, his movement, he was just streets ahead of them.
“I always remember our senior players Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Trevor Sinclair and Robbie Fowler all saying how good he was.
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Dave Jones is backing Aaron Ramsey to star for Juventus
“It was a pleasure to have him involved with the first-team. He had a lovely attitude and always wanted to learn.
“There were three big clubs looking at him at one stage. Everton, they lost interest in him and I don’t know why.
“They had first shout on him. I spoke to Sir Alex (Ferguson) when he was asking about him and I said to him ‘he’s going to be something special’.
“Looking back now, Arsenal was probably the right move for Aaron. It was a lot of money to splash out on him but as soon as everyone saw him, they knew Arsenal had a player on their hands.â€
Ramsey reminded the north Londoners of what they will be missing by scoring in a 2-0 win over Newcastle on Monday to strengthen their grip on a top-four place.
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The 28-year-old will be remembered fondly by Gunners fans for netting two winning goals in FA Cup finals against Hull and Chelsea.
Ramsey signed a four-year pre-contract deal with Juventus in February, which talkSPORT understands amounts to a staggering £400,000-a-week – when including the signing-on fee.
The Serie A champions snapped up the experienced midfielder after Arsenal withdrew a contract offer to him, and Jones dubbed Arsenal’s failure to tie down Ramsey as a ‘strange’ one.
“Juventus is a good club to go to but it seems strange to let him go on a free,” the former Southampton and Wolves manager explained.
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“I don’t know how the fans feel because one minute they seem to love him to bits and then other times they seem to be against him.
“He’s had a super time there and gone on to be on par with Gareth Bale in the Welsh set-up.
“They are probably the two most influential players in that squad. I’d put him up with Gareth Bale on the international scene because of his quality.â€
Ironically, Ramsey could make his Juventus debut against Arsenal’s arch rivals Tottenham in a pre-season friendly in Singapore on July 21.
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