Aaron Ramsey is not a winger, and however many times he plays there won’t change that fact.

The 1-1 draw between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford once again emphasized why he provides more of a threat in his preferred central midfield position. He struggled against Antonio Valencia, one of the fastest players in the Premier League, and failed to muster up any opportunities throughout the game which Arsenal was fortunate to come away from with a point.

There has been much debate over Ramsey’s best position since he worked his way into the Arsenal starting XI three seasons ago. The Wales international scored 18 times from central midfield in the 2013/14 campaign but has since been unable to replicate that kind of form due to a mixture of injuries and being played out of position. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger fielded defensive duo Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny in central midfield on Saturday and it was clearly a case of showing more respect to his opponent than was necessary.

So why does Wenger continue to play Ramsey on the wing, a position that the player himself has frequently admitted he doesn’t enjoy playing in? Only last season Wenger made the startling claim that he will use Ramsey on the right for the foreseeable because he’s not a ‘tactical, defensive player’. This was ultimately an admission that Ramsey doesn’t have the discipline to play in central midfield because his rampaging runs leave the defensive midfielder next to him far too exposed.

“I use Ramsey on the right. That’s where I will certainly continue to use him, unless the game demands to attack," said Wenger. "He is more an offensive player. He is not a tactical, defensive player. I will use him sometimes there [centrally], when the game demands.

“I used him on the right because he gives us a balance because we have Ozil, who is an offensive player, we have Sanchez, we have Giroud or Walcott and Cazorla, so we need to balance a bit defensively.”

Arsenal is blessed with options in central midfield. From Granit Xhaka to Santi Cazorla and more defense-minded players like Coquelin and Elneny, while even Jack Wilshere faces a fight on his hands when he returns from his season-long loan spell with Bournemouth at the end of the season. When Ramsey partnered Xhaka for the final few minutes of Saturday’s game he looked much more comfortable and adept at playing those accurate passes which we’ve been accustomed to seeing when he plays for Wales.

At Euro 2016 he flourished because he knew exactly what his role was. The 25-year-old midfield was aware of his responsibilities and able to dictate play in a box-to-box role for the Welsh. It’s the complete opposite of his situation at Arsenal where Ramsey doesn’t know whether he’s going to start on the right, left, center or substitutes bench week in, week out.

"It [playing on the right] is not my preferred position," said Ramsey. "I am a central midfielder and that's where I like to be. I like to be involved a lot more in the game. But the manager's asked me to do a job out there, and I do have the licence to drift in and get involved.

“When we are defending, I have to stay in position but when we get the ball I can drift. I am not a winger, I can’t knock the ball beyond my man like Theo [Walcott] does. I prefer to get in the little pockets of space, get involved and play the combinations but it is important to do a job for the team.”

Indeed, doing a job for the team is the most important factor for Ramsey right now. Arsenal’s tough batch of November fixtures make it almost impossible for him not to start in a central position over the coming weeks. A starting berth against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday would be an improvement and playing alongside Xhaka in midfield has the potential to breed a supreme partnership.

Wenger’s men have lost one game in eight months - the opening day defeat to Liverpool at Emirates Stadium. Ramsey knows he has competition on his hands but if opportunities in his favored position continue to surpass him from now until the end of the season then it is only a matter of time before he accepts that it’s time to bring his eight year stay with Arsenal to an end.