Danny Welbeck admitted yesterday that he had “envisaged” playing for Arsenal even before his deadline-day transfer as it emerged that he felt compelled to leave Manchester United when told he would be the fifth-choice striker this season.
Having seldom been used in a central position by United, the England striker expressed confidence that he could realise his true potential after his £16 million move to the Emirates Stadium ended a 15-year association with the Manchester club.
Yet Welbeck might have faced a battle just to get on the substitutes’ bench if he had stayed at Old Trafford after falling behind James Wilson, a talented but unproven teenager, in the pecking order.
Wilson is highly regarded by United, but the 18-year-old has played only 97 minutes of first-team football and made his debut at the end of last season, when he scored twice in a 3-1 win over Hull City at Old Trafford.
With Radamel Falcao, the Colombia striker who has joined on a season-long loan from Monaco, Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Wilson blocking his path, Welbeck felt his future was best served by a move.
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United had originally been opposed to offloading Welbeck to a top-six club, but the player was adamant that he was prepared to leave only for the right team, with Falcao’s arrival persuading United to soften their stance.
Welbeck has been criticised for his goals output — he scored 29 times for United, an average of a goal almost every five games — but he never played a full season as a central striker and spent much of his time operating in a wide position or on the bench.
With Olivier Giroud ruled out until Christmas at the earliest with a fractured left ankle, Welbeck has the opportunity of a regular central berth and believes he can thrive at the Emirates. “It’s great to be a part of this club and it’s a team that I’ve always watched in the Premier League,” he said. “I’ve envisaged myself playing in this team before. For it to finally happen is very exciting.
“Things move on in life and I think you’ve really got to make the right decision in the situation that you’re in at that moment in time. I really do believe that coming to Arsenal is the right decision.”
Falcao is expected to have an interview at the British Consulate in Miami, where he is with the Colombia squad before their friendly against Brazil tomorrow, as United attempt to fast-track his application for a visa in the hope of having the player available to make his debut at home to Queens Park Rangers on Sunday week.
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Van Persie dismissed suggestions yesterday that he needed surgery to address a knee injury and warned Falcao that he would have “to fight for his place”. “The two of us, plus Wayne and James, we must all fight it out to see who plays,” he said.
Guillermo Varela, the right back who signed for United on a five-year contract in June last year, has joined Real Madrid’s Castilla squad on a season-long loan, taking the number of departures — either permanently or on loan — to 17 this summer.