The former Wales international admits that a fellow countryman is struggling to keep himself match fit as he approaches “the back end” of his career
Aaron Ramsey’s fitness issues, which have followed him from Arsenal to Juventus, are a result of the lack of game time he has seen over recent years, says fellow Welshman Danny Gabbidon.
The 29-year-old midfielder has taken in just six appearances this season, with only three of those being Serie A starts.
Establishing momentum is proving difficult for the Wales international amid fierce competition for places in Turin.
Ramsey’s cause is also being done few favours by the untimely knocks that he has become all too familiar with.
The former Gunners star is back on the treatment table at present, with a muscle complaint keeping him stuck on the sidelines.
A similar ailment has already laid him low in the 2020-21 campaign, with club and country unable to rely on the talented playmaker being fit.
Gabbidon believes the niggling injuries are a result of Ramsey rarely being fully match sharp, with Wales about to go into their latest round of Nations League fixtures without a key man at their disposal.
“It seems the last two or three seasons he's been picking up these kind of muscle injuries,” Gabbidon told the Elis James Feast of Football podcast.
“You look at Aaron and the way he plays. He's a fit lad to be fair - he's always on the move and full of energy.
“Once you get towards the back end of your career and the body maybe doesn't function as well as it did when you were younger, it is possible for these things to happen and you pick up these little niggles.
“A lot of it can be down to not playing week in, week out. He is all action, box-to-box and does a lot of running.
“Maybe the body is not quite as strong and in tune as it was a few years ago.”
Ramsey suffered some serious problems during his time at Arsenal, with the badly broken leg he picked up in a meeting with Stoke back in 2010 forcing him to almost start from scratch.
Regular injury setbacks were taken in from that point and a move to Juve was made as a free agent in 2019 with the intention of starting afresh and putting those troubles behind him.