Aaron Ramsey tears up Wenger's rulebook

Aaron Ramsey will celebrate that milestone at Emirates Stadium in less than two weeks but has already shown a tangible return on his considerable potential.

The 17-year-old, who signed from Cardiff for £5million in June, made his Premier League debut against Blackburn in September before becoming the third-youngest scorer in Champions League history in October's 5-2 win in Fenerbahce.

Ramsey can be considered a Carling Cup regular having played every minute in previous rounds against Sheffield United and Wigan and cuts a similar figure to Cesc Fabregas in both his playing style and demeanour.

Indeed, Wenger's 'six-month rule' is usually the preserve of foreign imports but it is a measure of Ramsey's development that he is already at the forefront of a talented crop waiting in the wings.

Burnley manager Owen Coyle tonight has the unenviable task of stopping a bunch of kids running riot in his backyard.

Ramsey's performances in the Championship last season - including a goalscoring display at Turf Moor in January - coupled with his part in Cardiff's run to the FA Cup Final, drew him to the attention of a wider audience.

And Coyle believes the Welshman has found the perfect club to blossom his career. He said: "They went and signed arguably the best young player going about last year in Ramsey.

"The fact that they beat off competition from Chelsea and Manchester United shows the lad felt that Arsenal was the club for a young player to go and make their name.

"For me, he's going to be a top, top player. We certainly know the quality they've got and you know you're always going to be up against it."

For Ramsey, tonight marks another step in his development and he is loving every minute of it.

"I am really enjoying it," said the midfielder, who started his first game for Wales in last month's friendly in Denmark.

"It has been a big learning curve since I joined but I already feel as if I've learned a lot here.

"The way that Arsenal play - one touch, two touch - is a bit different to what I was used to.

"I remember being a bit surprised how quick it was in my first day of training here, but to be honest I don't know what I was expecting it to be like.

"I actually scored against Burnley last season, away for Cardiff in the league, so I have good memories of playing there. I know it will be tough for us but we have to stick to the football we know we can play. Hopefully that will get us through."

Burnley present an intriguing proposition tonight, not least because the Clarets knocked out Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in round four.

Coyle's side pulled off a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory and will have been buoyed by victory at home to Derby last weekend.

They also gave a strong Arsenal side a tough examination in the FA Cup third round back in January.

This is the first time the Gunners have been drawn away in the Carling Cup this season and consequently the younger players will be taken out of the comfort zone created by nearly 60,000 fans at the Emirates Stadium.

Although there will not be the same rivalry at Turf Moor, it was at Tottenham where the wheels finally came off in last season's semi-finals as a fierce crowd and a fast start rattled Wenger's young guns into submission.

But, as ever, the Gunners boss remains unswerving in his support. He said: "I believe part of the educational process is to show the players at some stage that you have faith in them.

"You have to give them a chance to show how good they are.

"But don't forget the policy demands a lot of patience and hard work. We have been doing it for years and you cannot just produce players of that quality on demand. I have been here for 12 years and we don't have this kind of quality every year."

So just how does Coyle go about trying to win the club's first League Cup quarter-final in 25 years?

"We know they'll have bulk of possession in the game and we just have to make sure that we're totally concentrated and when we get an opportunity to play we go and take full advantage of it," he explained.

"We'll set our team out to be very positive."

But given Ramsey's recent progression, it is easy to imagine him inflicting more misery on the home side tonight and perhaps force Wenger to revisit his six-month rule altogether.