Aaron Ramsdale opens up on 'frustrating' start to life at Southampton

A suspected fractured finger forced him to withdraw from England duty and will keep him away from club football for a yet unknown period of time.

Injuries are never ideal, but the timing of Ramsdale's hand problem will likely make an already tricky period even more difficult.

Southampton, bottom of the Premier League, exclusively face teams in the top 10 between now and Christmas.

Alex McCarthy, who started the first two games of the season, is best placed to stand in for the 27 year old for the time being.

Prior to his injury, Ramsdale regularly won praise for his influence between the sticks. He produced an important save against Everton, helping Saints to their first win of the season.

READ MORE: England's Ramsdale set for spell out with fractured finger

Aaron Ramsdale withdrew from the England squad with a hand injury (Image: PA) The former Arsenal man suggested we saw "the real" Ramsale against the Toffees. That 1-0 win at St Mary's marked his first clean sheet for the club.

Southampton's near Carabao Cup slip-up against Stoke City is the only time questions have been raised about the five-time England international's performances for the club.

That is despite his unfortunate record. He has conceded 21 goals in 10 games - but it would be unfair to suggest he should shoulder much of the blame.

Only Sam Johnstone (2.6) and José Sá (2.33) - both of Wolves - have conceded more goals per 90 minutes than the man known at Staplewood as 'Rambo'.

"It is very frustrating but I've been in similar situations out on loan and when I was a younger goalkeeper," Ramsdale told the Daily Echo prior to his injury. 

"They have allowed me to equip things for my mentality or to deal with things in a certain way. I have a lot of experience to deal with that.

Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale saves from Everton's Michael Keane (Image: Steve Paston/PA) "I know the fact of what we're trying to do and how we're trying to do it on the pitch and how we can eradicate these things.

"I can slowly see throughout games how we're starting to stamp authority for periods. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be conceding three.

"But I've been in situations like it before and it's just falling on the wrong side of the coin. I think if we invited people down to training, they'd understand that."

Russell Martin has been one of Ramsdale's biggest supporters since he came through the door at Staplewood on deadline day.

The 38 year old can regularly be heard praising his goalkeeper's confidence on the ball and believes he has given Saints a better foundation to build from.

Martin recently admitted he still cannot believe Saints were able to agree a deal for the former Cherries man.

"It took a long time. I sent him videos of my son begging him to sign, I was sending him gifs, emojis, all sorts," he confessed.

Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale (left) and manager Russell Martin (right). (Image: PA) "Mostly, I just told him how good I thought he would be for us, why it was such a good fit, how I think we could help him, how he could help us.

"I told him about the input he would have day to day in terms of him having an opinion and feeling like his opinion is valid. Hopefully, he's felt all of that."

"It's been a breath of fresh air for me," Ramsdale responded when asked if he has felt that love from Martin. "He's someone who is there for me if I need to speak to him.

"It just allows his ideas and his thoughts of how to move on. It's something I thought I needed. He has exceeded my thoughts and what I already heard about him.

"He's engaging and encourages you as a man. He has relatable experiences in the Premier League from when he was playing.

"Being a young manager, he'll openly admit he's still getting new experiences. The club as a whole feels like a real family club. I don't think I could have picked a better place to be playing.

Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale is out for a currently unknown period of time. (Image: PA) Ramsdale has noticeably gone longer with his passes this season. It has become more common to see Southampton's goalkeeper bypass the defence to get the ball forward quicker.

The Sheffield United academy graduate is not afraid to pick out a player on the halfway line and is never discouraged if his passes fail to reach the intended target.

Ramsdale admitted he has the freedom to make decisions in the moment but also revealed Martin's coaching staff are unafraid to point out different options when looking back at games.

“I think philosophies or the way people speak can be misconstrued. We want to play out from the back, of course, we do," he explained.

"And hopefully if I'm playing a longer pass it's a pass, not a lump or a hoof. But I think there's always going to be times when I'll take charge on the pitch.

"Maybe I'll squeeze the boys and the gaffer might not be as happy but as long as I have a reason for when he asks me after what I'm doing it for...

"He'll say 'No problem, but maybe could you have done this a bit earlier?' It's a way of playing, I think a lot of the time we're playing out from the back well.

Southampton's Aaron Ramsdale warming up at St Mary's (Image: Stuart Martin) "It's a bit annoying when people say we have conceded by playing out. It is in the middle of the pitch where we're giving the balls away and leading to chances.

"The manager wants me to play but I'm the one who's on the pitch. If I've got a reason, he'll accept it. It's my job as the last line, I'm going to make decisions."

Ramsdale will have to wait a few weeks until he is back making decisions in the firing line. Other goalkeepers have spent up to six weeks out with a fractured finger and he could be unavailable for a similar time.

He was spotted at Twickenham on Sunday, sporting a cast on his hand while supporting England during their Autumn Nations Series defeat against South Africa.

Martin is expected to provide further details on Ramsdale's injury next week. With his future as Saints boss already in a precarious position, he will want his marquee signing back sooner rather than later.