Arsene Wenger says it’s ‘unbelievable’ how few matches Aaron Ramsey has started in the Premier League this season and hopes the Welshman, who he compares to Frank Lampard, can have a strong end to the season now that he’s fit.

The midfielder had hoped to build on his terrific showing at EURO 2016 with a strong showing on the domestic front this term, however, a series of niggly injuries have condemned him to just 15 starts in all competitions; by far the fewest he’s made in a season since the aftermath of the Shawcross leg-break incident.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final with Manchester City, Wenger lamented the problems that have peppered Ramsey’s season but underlined his belief that the player still has the talent to deliver at the highest level.

“In my head Ramsey was going to be a player between 10 and 15 goals a year,” the manager told Arsenal Player.

“He is a Frank Lampard type. He is [about] getting in the box and he has a huge capacity to run. Physically, he has a combination of stamina, power and his capacity to repeat high intensity is certainly the best in the league.

“This season has been very frustrating for Aaron. I looked the other day, he has started seven games in the Premier League. When I realised that, it was unbelievable, but it’s because of injuries – and not big ones. Every time it’s a niggling one and when he came back from those – boom – a little calf – boom – a little hamstring.

“He looked fit on Monday but I hope he will have a strong end to the season because he is an important player for me. He has it all in the locker to be defensive and offensive. So that is for me a vital part of the game we want to play. We do not only want to defend, we want to defend and attack.

“These kind of players are very important. I also think he is at his best age as a midfielder when you look at it at the start of the season. He is a player who can take the role of Mesut Ozil. When Ozil needs a breather you can play Aaron there, but he was not there earlier this season.”

Wenger also called on his so-called British core to take responsibility for the team’s performances, both in the short and long-term.

“Yes, of course [they are important],” he noted. “But what I love above a passport are players who integrate the values of the club. That is the most important. And they have to be ready to defend these values.

“It’s more natural for local players because they have been educated in Arsenal — players like Ramsey, Chamberlain. They have to take charge of the future of the club.

“They should lead and take responsibility to say ‘yes, that is how we want to behave, this is how we want to play, let’s go together.’

“If they didn’t want it, that would be a huge disappointment. A lot is said about my future but my future is more important in the value and spirit of what we have built in 20 years than my own person.

“These guys have to take charge of what we have built and the values of the club. We are a club that are admired for that.

“We have supporters all over the world because of that…the values that this club represents. It’s not only for the trophies that we win that is important. It’s also about the way you behave, the way you think.”