Aaron Ramsey: Can He Fulfill His Vast Potential?

The 2010-11 season was meant to be the moment that Aaron Ramsey finally blossomed into a great player; the year he came of age, the year he fulfilled his immense potential and began his quest to become one of the World's best midfielders.

All that has been put on hold, however, because of a tackle by Ryan Shawcross, in which Ramsey suffered a double fracture in his right leg. The tackle may or may not have been malicious, but the fact of the matter is that football lost one of its brightest stars for what looked, at that point, at least one year.

Arsenal signed him at the start of the 2008-09 season after fighting off stiff competition from Everton and Manchester United. Ramsey rose to the limelight when he was an integral part of the Cardiff side that reached the FA Cup final. After signing with Arsenal, he continued his rapid development under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger. He made twenty two appearances in his very first season as a Gunner and took giant strides in his development.

At the time of the injury, Ramsey was having his best season in an Arsenal shirt, playing 29 games and scoring four goals. His performances were impressive and displayed maturity that belied his age. His vision and movement were all a treat to watch, and there was no denying the fact that he was destined to become Fabregas's heir to the central midfielder role, was Cesc to leave. It was evident to everyone that he was a star in the making and great things could be expected of him in the future. 

Ramsey has made a speedy recovery and is back to kicking a football in close to ten months. It was a great recovery that highlights the benefits of modern technology. But one thing that only time will tell is the extent of psychological impact of the tackle and how the injury will impact his development.

One cannot help but think of Eduardo, the talented yet unfortunate Croatian striker who never really recovered from his horrific injury both psychologically and in his performances. Following his return, Eduardo was a shadow of his former self and struggled to adjust back to the pace and challenges of the League. 

In modern day football, physicality is an aspect that remains and is often encouraged, and Ramsey will come back into a football world in which tackles will still fly around. The question remains whether he will shun away from challenges. There is always the possibility that the psychological scars of the challenges will remain; this can have an extremely detrimental impact on his career.

Also, there is always the possibility that following his return, Ramsey will find it difficult to adjust back to the pace and challenges of the Premier League and will struggle. If this were to happen, it would be a real shame because great things were to happen from the feet of this youngster. There is always the chance the fate of Eduardo will continue to play at the back of his mind and affect his performances.

Following his return from injury, Wenger decided it was best to send him out on loan and a deal with Nottingham Forest was finalised. Although these are early days, his loan spell at Forest will be the right indicator to judge the impact of the injury.

For Arsenal fans this maybe a case of deja vu but there are a lot of positive indications to show that Ramsey can return to his best. After all, time and technology are on his side, and with the quality and talent he possess he has everything he needs to put this behind him and return a stronger, better player.

As an Arsenal fan, as a football fan, and as a huge fan of this star in the making, lets hope Ramsey returns to his best.