Man United’s Danny Welbeck failure leaves Gary Neville angered as Chelsea swoop
Former Manchester United forward Danny Welbeck is closing in on a move from Brighton & Hove Albion to Chelsea
Gary Neville has said that Man United should not have sold Danny Welbeck (Image: Sky Sports)
Former Manchester United star Gary Neville believes his old club shouldn’t have sold Danny Welbeck over a decade ago as he closes in on a move to Chelsea.
The striker came up through the youth system at Old Trafford, making his first-team debut in the 2008/09 season. He went on to play 142 times for the club, scoring 29 goals and providing 16 assists.In 2014, he was sold to Arsenal for a fee of £16 million. Welbeck remained at the Emirates Stadium for five years before briefly moving to Watford in 2019 and then settling at Brighton in 2020, where he has been ever since.
He has been a reliable goalscorer for the Seagulls in the Premier League during his six years at the club, prompting Chelsea to make a move as they search for more experienced players.
The speculation over Welbeck moving to Stamford Bridge has led to calls for United to make a move of their own. Neville has taken a more retrospective view of the situation.
Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: “I said ten years ago that Manchester United should never have sold Danny Welbeck. He’s gone away and done brilliantly well.
“He’s coming into a little cameo at the end of his career, but he’s a fantastic player. I worked with him obviously as a team-mate, I worked with him with England as a coach and he was fantastic for England.
“And he’s been good in the Premier League as well. It’s a good move for Chelsea and it gives them a real option up front.”
As well as Welbeck, Chelsea appear to be closing in on a transfer for former Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson. Brentford have confirmed that he has left the club on a free transfer.
Neville has highlighted why both players will benefit United’s Premier League rivals. “They’re still good players, they can contribute maybe 25 to 35 games a season at a good level,” he said.
“But what they will do is all those young players there at Chelsea, they will make sure they turn up every single day, give their all, come back the same the next day and do it again.
“That’s been a problem. I don’t think the young players at Chelsea have had any particular guidance or leadership around them either on the pitch or off the pitch.
“They’ve now got people around them who can do that and know how to get around the block.”
While United finished last season in the Champions League places, Chelsea are undergoing a rebuild on their own under new manager Xabi Alonso after missing out on Europe all together last season.
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