Aaron Ramsey: Where next for Cardiff City and Wales midfielder?

It was no surprise, therefore, that Bellamy was Ramsey’s first port of call when he was made Cardiff’s caretaker manager some 48 hours before his first game in charge.

“I spoke to Bellers [Bellamy] quite a bit. He’s helped me out quite a lot in that 24, 48 hours,” Ramsey said after that match.

“We didn’t have a lot of time to work on tactical things, so I didn’t want to overload the players with too much information. We had a day to do that. We had to take in a bit from meetings, but it was more about trying to get your principles across and habits.”

It was striking how similar Ramsey was to Bellamy as a coach, not only in the way he set up his team but in the way he spoke about the game afterwards.

Habits and principles are key buzzwords of Bellamy’s burgeoning Wales tenure and, less than a year into the job, he has already had a major effect on his players – evident in Ramsey’s three games in charge of Cardiff.

Like Bellamy, Ramsey’s teams set out to be aggressive off the ball, pressing their opponents intensely and high up the field, while the aim in possession is to dominate, playing out from the back and attacking wherever possible.

Having spent a decade playing under Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, Ramsey will also take inspiration from the legendary three-time Premier League winner who signed him from Cardiff when he was 17 years old.

“I think what Arsene instilled in us is having that freedom to go and express ourselves, having that sense of confidence from him to go out there and to do that,” said Ramsey.

“That’s something that I’ll take throughout my managerial career, giving the players the confidence to go out there and express themselves.”

Young coaches making their way in the game often talk about the qualities they would like to take from their former bosses – while still maintaining their own clear identity, being their own person.

One thing Ramsey has ruled out for now is being a player-manager. Bellamy worked under Vincent Kompany while the former Manchester City captain played that dual role at Anderlecht, and the Wales head coach has warned Ramsey against doing the same.

That is not to say he would need to put his coaching on hold completely even if he was to continue in midfield.

When he was injured earlier this season, Ramsey sat in the stands and analysed games, sharing his findings with Cardiff’s coaches on the touchline.

He already has his A Licence and next on his list will be the Pro Licence, the highest coaching qualification.

Ramsey has already taken his first steps in management but, before committing fully to life as a coach, the Wales captain must decide when he comes to the end of the road as a player.