'Ramsey has a smile back on his face'

Aaron Ramsey has a smile on his face again, according to Arsène Wenger.

The Wales midfielder suffered a double fracture to his right leg at Stoke in February and has spent the past eight months on a gruelling rehabilitation programme. But finally there is light at the end of the tunnel - Ramsey is outdoors working with a ball and was recently earmarked for a late November return by his manager.

Wenger has supported the 19-year-old throughout his recovery and admits that Ramsey has had to overcome mental as well as physical obstacles. But the Frenchman is delighted to report that the highly-rated midfielder has a spring in his step once more.

"He is back running and he is back kicking the ball," Wenger told Arsenal.com.

"You would be amazed if you saw him in training, he has suddenly in the last month made a huge step forward. If I consider now when I look at him, you see his smile again.

"He has changed since six months ago because he has the feeling that the worst is behind him and everyday he is getting closer to what he wants to be, and that means being a football player."

Having dealt with the shock of such a traumatic injury and handled the physical strains and stresses of recovering his fitness, Ramsey now faces a different frustration – he must be patient as his manager eases him back into the first-team picture. Wenger insists that is perfectly natural.

"He comes from so far that certainly he had deeper doubts in his mind," he said. "Now he knows that again he will be a football player he wants to hurry up and make it happen as quickly as possible.

"But just for him to have the ball again and to be outside training is a fantastic sensation."