Arsene Wenger says it’s still too early to judge the effectiveness of Arsenal’s ‘new’ 3-4-3 formation but admits that it appears to suit Aaron Ramsey’s qualities.

The Welshman was voted Man of the Match in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Manchester United, arguably his best performance of another injury-hit campaign.

The midfielder has only made 27 appearances this season, including nine from the bench, but appears to be approaching full fitness with game time alongside Granit Xhaka in the centre of the park.

Reflecting again on the use of his new system, Wenger admitted that he’s pleased by Ramsey’s recent form.

“I must say the experience is still too short to say that we are definitely adopting this system for a longer period,” he told Arsenal Player.

“We adapt game by game and at the moment it has worked, especially defensively it has looked more stable and more solid. But the most important thing through the system is that the positions suit the quality of the players.

“Ramsey has a bit more protection behind him and has more freedom to go forward and get into the box.

“When he is at his best physically, he has a huge engine. Also he has a sense for the timing of his runs, so when he’s physically strong he can take advantage of his tactical knowledge of the game.

“You would say the system suits him well, and that’s what you want. Some players maybe suffer a bit more, but what is most important is that the system takes advantage of the quality of the players individually as much as possible.”

On how the formation was working for other players, Wenger added: “Maybe sometimes Welbeck was a bit too isolated [against United] so the runs of Ramsey for example helped him a lot. Also on Sunday Alexis played a bit deep – we want him to be closer to Welbeck and then we can be even more efficient offensively.”

Ramsey is expected to line up next to Xhaka in this evening’s showdown with Southampton – another must-win game for the Gunners if they are to have any chance of securing a top four finish.