Injury delays ex-Gunner’s debut after surprise move | OneFootball

Aaron Ramsey’s unexpected move to Pumas UNAM is one of the summer’s most intriguing transfers, yet the former Arsenal midfielder is still waiting to take the field in Mexico.

The 34-year-old signed a one-year deal with the Liga MX side in July after leaving Cardiff City on a free transfer, but a lingering hamstring injury has delayed his debut.

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Ramsey sustained the injury in March while playing for Cardiff, undergoing surgery that ruled him out for the remainder of the season and Wales’ UEFA World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and North Macedonia.

He has not featured in a competitive match since, and has only recently resumed light ball work in training.

Pumas head coach Efraín Juárez confirmed the club expected a gradual integration. “With Aaron, we’re in the final stages of joining the team. We knew it would be like this. That’s why we brought him in, because if he had played and hadn’t gotten injured, he’d have had offers from the Premier League, but we knew that would happen,” Juárez said after last week’s game against Inter Miami.

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According to sources close to ESPN, Ramsey will not be involved against Necaxa on 10 August and is also unlikely to feature away to Toluca.

His most realistic debut date is 24 August, when Pumas host Puebla at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario, though that could change depending on Juárez’s assessment.

Ramsey’s decision to join Pumas was unexpected. After returning to Cardiff in 2023 and enduring an injury-hit spell, he was briefly installed as interim manager for the final few games as the club was relegated to League One.

Many anticipated a permanent coaching role, but instead he chose a move abroad, citing the technical level of Mexican football and conversations with players familiar with the league.

His arrival makes him the most high-profile British player to feature in Liga MX in recent years, and Pumas see his signing as a statement of intent as they aim to improve on last season’s sixth-place finish and compete in the Concacaf Champions Cup.