Danny Welbeck has revealed {that a} mixture of expertise, a distinct position, and “correct grafting” are behind the veteran ahead enjoying one of the best soccer of his profession on the age of 33.
Welbeck was billed as a teenage prodigy when he emerged from the Manchester United academy at 17, changing into an everyday beneath Sir Alex Ferguson earlier than turning 21. A transfer to Arsenal in 2014 got here as a shock, adopted by a nightmarish few years of accidents that carried right into a season at Watford.
The previous England star has loved a brand new lease of life since becoming a member of Brighton in 2020, and 11 months into 2024, it has up to now been an injury-free yr for him. Lining up as a ‘quantity 9’ for the Seagulls has seen Welbeck begin 2024/25 with six Premier League targets in 9 video games, already higher than his 2023/24 league tally and equal to these of 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23.
Welbeck by no means scored greater than 5 Premier League targets in any of his 5 seasons for Arsenal, though he could have finished however for the accidents, whereas his best-ever league tally stays the 9 for Manchester United in his breakout 2011/12 marketing campaign greater than a decade in the past. Double figures (after which some) for the primary time in his Premier League profession appears to be like eminently achievable.
Welbeck has defined to The Occasions it has rather a lot do with how his position has modified.
“It is a new supervisor, totally different concepts and possibly this season I have been moving into much more harmful positions and the ball is being put in good positions for me by my teammates, and I have been placing them away,” he mentioned, reeling off a number of essential elements.
Expertise is an enormous a part of it too, understanding issues at 33 that he did not in his twenties.
“You do be taught issues through the years as a striker,” he added. “After I was youthful, watching the older gamers at United you all the time thought they’re, like, a step forward. Then you definitely achieve that have, the repetition of being in these positions so many occasions, seeing so usually how any individual goes to shut you down, or how a ball may be bobbling…you nearly like know you have performed sure conditions earlier than. I used to take a look at the older gamers and say, ‘How did they try this?’…now I see it clearly.”
Laborious work additionally deserves a point out. By Welbeck’s personal admission, he was “correct grafting” through the summer time, engaged on his health even every day on household holidays.
Some may contemplate Welbeck unlucky to not have been on Lee Carsley’s name record forward of this worldwide break, both within the authentic squad or when eight gamers dropped out. Manchester United additionally took discover of his sustained health, even earlier than the targets this season began flowing, reportedly contemplating an strategy to take him to Outdated Trafford in the summertime.
Welbeck referred to as the United rumours “hypothesis” and mentioned it’s to be anticipated given his connection.
“I am simply specializing in what I can management myself and all the opposite stuff is fairly irrelevant,” he mentioned.
