Ramsey refuses to quit as Cardiff faces relegation battle and unfinished business

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Aaron Ramsey has made it clear that he is committed to continuing his playing career next season, regardless of Cardiff City’s league status, pointing to the upcoming World Cup and his sense of “unfinished business” as his main motivations. His return to Cardiff as a player was a moment fans had long awaited, but the subsequent injuries have been a major setback for both him and the club.

Now at 34 and after another season disrupted by injuries, many have speculated whether his recent stint as interim manager for three matches signals the end of his playing days.

Despite his current managerial responsibilities and Cardiff’s slim survival hopes, Ramsey remains adamant about returning to the pitch. “My way of looking at it is just these two games and trying to keep this club in the Championship,” he said ahead of the crucial fixture against West Brom. “It means a lot to me to be given this opportunity and I couldn’t turn that down. My full focus is trying to keep Cardiff in the Championship and it will be back to rehab then, with the hamstring. I’m trying to get back from a hamstring injury. I will be straight into rehab after this season finishes, that’s for sure.”

Cardiff are facing a tough battle to avoid relegation, trailing in the safety race due to a poor goal difference, and many supporters are anxious about the prospect of dropping into League One. Ramsey is determined to inspire his team through two of the most significant games in recent club history, fully aware of what’s at stake.

“I was at this club from eight years old, so they give me the opportunity that I will forever be grateful for,” he said. “To do what I’ve done in my career, it all started here so it means everything to me. For me now to take this on and to play my part, hopefully, in being able to celebrate something at the end of the season, and avoid relegation, would be something special.”

He continued, “Obviously, [these games] are huge. This club has so much potential to be competing at the highest level. It’s not easy when teams go down. We have seen that with other clubs. It is not straightforward. But we’re not really thinking about those sorts of things at the moment. We can’t let that come into our thought process. We have to just focus on the next game and give ourselves a chance and then see where that takes us. But we need everybody fully on board with that for us to have any chance.”

Ramsey’s recovery from his latest hamstring injury has involved surgery and a lengthy spell in a leg brace, with only a handful of matches played this season. The drive to help Cardiff and the lure of the World Cup continue to fuel his ambition. “I managed to get the brace off at the weekend,” he added. “It is still a few months away as I’m still in the very early days of my rehab. I am able to walk around and fully extend my knee for the first time in five weeks or so. In the next few weeks I can start to ramp up the rehab and go through the gears a bit. I had surgery about six weeks ago.”

“It was always the plan for me to take the brace off around the five week mark after surgery. It’s about taking the right steps from here. For me it is just about focusing on the next two games and then in the summer really focusing on getting a good rehab and giving myself the opportunity to get back into a good place. I had the operation hoping that would give me the best chance to get my hamstring working properly. In a few weeks time I will be back doing rehab and if all that goes well. There is still unfinished business. There is a lot still to play for and that World Cup is a massive carrot being dangled. That’s what I will be focusing on in a few weeks time.”

For now, Ramsey’s attention is on the upcoming match against West Brom, with Cardiff City Stadium recently witnessing both passionate support and disappointment after a long-range equalizer denied them a win. After a pre-match protest against the club’s ownership, Ramsey praised the fans’ unwavering backing and stressed the importance of their energy in the final push. He said: “It’s been brilliant. They’ve been first class. Everyone has come in and given a new lease of energy and new life. There is a real buzz around the place. We want the same again on Saturday. We need everyone fully on board and hopefully we will have a result we can celebrate at the end. They get it. They know. The players, staf