Jay Emmanuel-Thomas knows a talented young player when he sees one.
Back in the day, he was one himself at Arsenal.
Along with future Premier League stars Jack Wilshere, Luke Ayling, Kyle Bartley, Henry Lansbury and Emmanuel Frimpong, he was a highly-rated teenager.
And when the Aberdeen striker looks at Dons kid Calvin Ramsay, he sees a similarly prodigious talent.
The full-back has been a revelation under gaffer Stephen Glass at Pittodrie and is now attracting interest from clubs all over Europe.
The likes of Manchester United, Newcastle, Eintracht Frankfurt and Bologna are among his admirers.
And Emmanuel-Thomas is convinced that whether Ramsay stays or goes, he will be successful at a high level.
The frontman believes as long as the 18-year-old continues to learn, he can go right to the top – just like some of his former Gunners pals.
Ahead of Tuesday night’s clash with Rangers – which is the perfect stage for Ramsay to shine on live TV – Emmanuel-Thomas said: “Calvin is a talented young boy.
“There is always going to be interest in someone of his ability, especially at his age.
“His future looks very bright and during the time I’ve played with him, he’s put in really good performances.
“As long as he continues to play like that, there will be people watching.
“I haven’t given him advice because any decisions he has to make will be for him and his family.
“In my FA Youth Cup side at Arsenal, we had Wilshere, Frimpong and Ayling who’s now at Leeds.
“Lansbury and Bartley were also in there along with another couple who retired early due to injury. We had a really decent side.
“And as long as Calvin sustains that mentality he has of soaking up information – and delivering on the pitch – it can take him anywhere he wants.
“His decisions will be made in his best interests with the people around him and based on the info he’s given.”
Emmanuel-Thomas left Arsenal when he couldn’t break into an Arsene Wenger side that had the likes of Thierry Henry.
But he’s a player who acts on instinct and it was the same when he made the move from Livingston to Aberdeen last summer.
He has only bagged one goal so far under Glass – a stunning strike against Raith Rovers in the Premier Sports Cup – but insists he’s ready to hit top gear at Pittodrie after the league’s restart.
Emmanuel-Thomas said: “I left Arsenal when I was offered a new deal but it didn’t leave my career in a worse position.
“I signed for Ipswich, played a lot, moved to Bristol City, won two trophies and got a move to QPR. So I don’t feel any decision I’ve made so far in my career has been incorrect.
“This season I’m probably in the same position I was in at this point a year ago, in terms of my numbers and performances.
“There’s still a lot to come from me at Aberdeen. We have a lot of new boys and are still working on certain styles and ways of playing.
“We will kick on and once we find some rhythm in our performances, I will kick on too.
“We’ve had an up-and-down start to the season but we managed to get a few points before the break.
“We’re looking to kick on now in the new year.
“We feel like we’ve had some good performances but have lacked goals. That picked up towards the end of the year and we want to continue that.
“We want to get straight back into it.”
For Aberdeen supporters, there’s no better game to do it than against Rangers in the Granite City.
JET hasn’t been fully versed on the rivalry yet but knows how important Tuesday night’s game is for Glass’ side – especially with fans allowed back inside the ground.
And he believes that if the Dons continue to progress under their manager, they can eventually get closer to the Old Firm at the top of the Premiership table.
He said: “It will be a great feeling to play in front of our home fans again. You always want that, especially for such a big game.
“Playing in front of supporters is one of the best things in football.
“And on Tuesday we’ll have them on our side with a lot of noise and atmosphere.
“That’s what fires people up.
“I don’t know about the rivalry with Rangers in full detail yet.
“But I get the gist of things and when the game rolls around, people start talking about it and I see stuff on the internet.
“You realise that it’s a much bigger game than you might expect – especially given the distance between the two teams.
“We’ve got a new manager and a lot of new players at Aberdeen this season.
“The two clubs at the top of the table have a structure, with so many players at their beck and call.
“We just need to focus on what we’re doing and how we’re going to get into that position in the near future.”
