Aaron Ramsey believes that a full pre-season can help him scale new heights in 2014/15.
The Wales midfielder won the club's Player of the Season award by a landslide in May after a transformative campaign that saw him score 16 goals in 34 appearances.
Ramsey wants to deliver even more when the new season gets underway next month and he thinks an early start this summer will make that possible.
"I’ve always believed in myself and what I can do, and I think a lot of people realised that last year"
"It’s always important to get a good pre-season in you," Ramsey told Arsenal.com. "Over the years, the players that have missed out on pre-season are always playing catch-up when they come back during the season. It definitely helps players to get off to a good start.
"It feels really good [to be back]. It’s good to get back into the swing of things again before the season starts and also see your mates. It’s nice to be back on the pitch.
"We build things up every day. It becomes a little bit harder every day, which is a good thing. You’re not thrown straight into the deep end. It’s definitely a gradual process.
"I’m just happy [with my progress] and I want to keep on working on my game. Hopefully I can keep improving and get better and better. That’s my target now - just to improve on my game and keep on building every season.
"I’ve been through a lot in my short career so far. I’ve had a bit of everything so it was nice to have a good season, score the number of goals that I did and be recognised a lot more. I’ve always believed in myself and what I can do, and I think a lot of people realised that last year and that’s what I’m more happy about."
Ramsey received 58 per cent of the votes cast in the club's official end-of-season poll and he heard about it while taking a well-earned rest.
"I was on holiday at the time and it was a really good feeling for me to be voted player of the season," he reflected.
"I appreciate all the fans who voted for me and there were a few players, like Per and Laurent, who were solid and didn’t concede many at the back all season. They gave us a great platform to build on. It could have been a few players but I’m just happy that it was awarded to me."
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