Mikel Arteta has revealed that Aaron Ramsdale made the decision to support teammate Bernd Leno at Villa Park despite carrying an injury. Ramsdale, 23, was sidelined for Arsenal's 1-0 win over Aston Villa after suffering a hip injury during the 1-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday.
The England international has been a standout performer for the Gunners this season after signing from Sheffield United for a fee in the region of £30million last summer. Bukayo Saka's first half goal gave Arsenal the lead against Steven Gerrard’s side as Leno kept a clean sheet and made an excellent late save to secure the win for the away side.
Arteta explained in his post-match press conference why Ramsdale travelled with the team despite being injured. He confirmed that the keeper - who had just been called up to the England national team - was carrying the injury during the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool on Wednesday.
READ MORE: Arsenal confirm why Gabriel Martinelli and Aaron Ramsdale left out of squad vs Villa
"He wasn’t comfortable in the last 50 minutes against Liverpool," said Arteta. "He wanted to be here to support Bernd [Leno] which tells you about a lot of things behind the scenes."
It’s unclear whether Ramsdale will be unavailable for England during the international break, with Gabriel Martinelli also missing the game through illness. Bukayo Saka was also hauled off in the second half although Arteta admitted that it was fatigue that prompted his decision to substitute the goalscorer.
"He was really fatigued," Arteta added. "He's played a lot of minutes. He needs to go with England and the best thing was to take him off."
Arsenal are beginning to consolidate their spot in the top four after winning their last six out of their seven games. Despite facing a tricky run-in, they have top four qualification in their own hands.
