CHRIS Coleman says Aaron Ramsey has delivered the dazzling displays to match his new bleached-blond hair as Wales prepare for the Euro 2016 knockout stages.

Ramsey, who dyed his brown hair a shocking shade of peroxide blond before the tournament, put in a man of the match performance in the 3-0 win over Russia that saw Wales win Group B.

The Arsenal ace scored the crucial first goal and provided a perfect assist for Gareth Bale’s third.

That was his second assist of the group stage and Ramsey has created eight chances in total and had five shots on target so far.

He has also made made the most tackles in the tournament and 141 passes in the three games, with a passing accuracy of more than 80 per cent.

Coleman is not surprised by how well Ramsey has performed, admitting the midfielder had to have a good tournament having put himself in the spotlight with that visit to the barbers.

"If you're going to have a haircut that will shock people - and it did - you have to have a bit of confidence because you know you are going to be in the spotlight,” said the Wales boss.

“I think he was more than confident that people would end up talking about his football, rather than his haircut. I think it suits him."

As Wales prepare to take on Northern Ireland in the second round in Paris on Saturday evening, Coleman says Ramsey has matured as an international footballer over recent years.

“Rambo is a terrific player, his energy levels, his imagination, he's got the capacity to open any defence up,” he said.

“He can score a great goal. He's box to box. He's always believed in himself, he's always had that confidence.

“But the older he gets the more he realises what his role is,” he added. “Now you are seeing a positionally more aware Aaron Ramsey in international football, against top teams. If he's out of position, he knows the consequences are great.

"His all round game has been great. We know how good he is on the ball, he's great, fantastic. But now he knows his responsibilities, he can be a bit more stubborn. That's improved in his game."

South Wales Argus: