Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale reveals how he coped with "backlash" from fans after move from Sheffield United

Ramsdale became one of the most expensive goalkeepers in British football history when he signed for Arsenal, after the Blades were relegated to the Premier League.

That was his second successive relegation from the top-flight, after Bournemouth dropped to the Championship the season before – and his record led to a backlash from Gunners fans on social media when his Emirates move became a reality.

But the 23-year-old has been a revelation in the capital and enjoyed a brilliant start to his Arsenal career, winning his first senior England cap last month against San Marino.

And, in an interview with The Times, he admitted: “I saw the backlash and that’s when I made the decision to turn comments off, notifications off for people I don’t follow on Instagram and Twitter.

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“People can tag me but I won’t see it, so it won’t come up on my feed. When people were saying I was getting a lot of stick and abuse, I said: ‘Am I?’ Because I didn’t really know and I didn’t really care.

“Yes, I’ve been relegated twice but the way I looked at it was two years of completely different experiences to other people at 23. It’s me and 10 other people on the pitch.”

Ramsdale has now set his sights on retaining his place in the England squad ahead of next winter’s World Cup in Qatar, after apparently leapfrogging another former Blades goalkeeper Dean Henderson in the England pecking order.

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He comes face-to-face with another rival for the No.1 shirt in Jordan Pickford tonight when Arsenal travel to Everton, who Ramsdale describes as “absolutely outstanding”.

“It’s going to take a lot to get in front of him,” Ramsdale added. “I have the belief, but it’s whether I believe I can do it in that time

“It’s a long way away and anything can happen but if I keep playing for Arsenal, keep doing well, hopefully I can be in with a shout and see what happens. I’d be very happy to go [to Qatar], to be honest.”

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