LONDON, December 7- Aaron Ramsey is hoping to grasp his chance in Arsenal’s central midfield after boss Arsene Wenger confirmed Santi Cazorla has undergone knee surgery.
The Welshman stepped back into his favoured position and scored as the Gunners got their title challenge back on track with a 3-1 win over Sunderland on Saturday, and he has now set his sights on becoming a fixture at the heart of the side.
“I have made no secret that I prefer to play in the middle and hopefully now I can stay there,” he told reporters. “My performance was good and hopefully I can keep building on that now to play where I prefer to play.
“I prefer to be back in the middle of the pitch, that is where I feel more comfortable and feel like I play my best football – to grab a goal and get an assist was good for me as well.
“I’m still a bit short of fitness and it will take me a few games to get back into it but I’m pleased with my overall contribution.”
Meanwhile, Cazorla is facing up to four months on the sidelines after suffering knee ligament damage in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at Norwich on November 29.
“[Surgery] has happened already,” Wenger confirmed. “It’s not the season. It is at least three months, maybe four.
“Santi wanted to have a chance to come back quickly so he didn’t want to last too long for 25 opinions and he decided to go straight away.
“The guy said, ‘look it’s a clear case, it’s a rupture of the external knee ligament’. And he said ‘Okay, let’s do it straight away’.”