Gary Neville admits Arsenal star 'stunned' him and feels he's close to huge reward

Gary Neville has admitted he was 'stunned' by the performance of Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who he believes is closing in on top spot in England.

Four years ago, Ramsdale played all but one game in the net for Bournemouth as they were relegated from the Premier League. The following season he did not miss a game for Sheffield United as they suffered the same fate.

Following successive relegations from the Premier League, his career could have been left in ruins. If no one had pounced on him, he could have endured a lifetime of struggling to stay afloat in the top flight year after year.

Arsenal took a punt, however, snapping it up from the South Yorkshire side for £24m. He quickly became the Gunners' number 1, taking that spot from Bernd Leno.

Ramsdale has since made his England debut, retained his role as Arsenal's first-choice keeper and could win the league in that role this season - quite a turnaround after back-to-back relegations.

He's been in line for a lot of accolades this season, unsurprisingly given he's kept the third-most clean sheets in the league, with 12.

Recently, that praise was for his role in Arsenal's 2-2 draw with Liverpool. We have reached the critical moment in the title race and every point counts - Ramsdale saved a point by avoiding a late Reds play-off.

After that game, Jamie Carragher explained how he had never been "more wrong" to criticize a signing.

Gary Neville also praised Ramsdale.

"He shocked me, him. I thought he was an incredible signing, losing Leno and losing [Emiliano] Martinez obviously to Aston Villa," he said on Sky Sports .

Neville believes that if he continues in this form, he may be able to usurp Jordan Pickford from his role as England's No.1.

"I'm amazed at the way [he's playing], he's now pushing Jordan Pickford [for the top spot in England], I imagine very close," he added.

Roy Keane also praised the Arsenal goalkeeper, not only for his performance but also for his sense of personality.

"The importance of goalscorers is vital, but you won't gain anything unless you have a very, very good goalkeeper. Again, we're talking about the character of goalkeepers," he said.

"You can call it technical ability, but that's how they particularly react to disappointment.

"And like I said, what's going on - he looks like a really big and important personality in this locker room and that's vital."

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