adminMANCHESTER. — Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said Danny Welbeck had been motivated by a desire to prove Manchester United wrong after he knocked his former club out of the FA Cup. A Manchester-born United academy graduate, England striker Welbeck left for Arsenal in a £16 million deal last September after falling out of favour under new manager Louis van Gaal.
The Dutchman claimed Welbeck was not good enough to hold down a starting place at Old Trafford, but his words returned to haunt him as the 24-year-old earned holders Arsenal a 2-1 win on Monday night that set up a semi-final meeting with either Reading or Bradford City.
“We want all to do well when we play against our former club to show that we are a great player, but it’s not easy to deal with the mental situation of it,” said Wenger, whose side had not won at United since September 2006.
“But he focused just on his game and didn’t do anything special, just played football like you want him to play. I think he has shown mental strength, because it’s not always easy to deal with that.”
Wenger added: “He wants to win. He is a team player. What I like with Danny is he’s intelligent, he wants to do well for the team, he’s a great talent and recently has done extremely well for the national team.”
Welbeck later admitted to mixed feelings after his goal knocked former club Manchester United out of the FA Cup.
Born in Manchester, Welbeck joined United at the age of eight but was allowed to sign for Arsenal last September after new manager Louis van Gaal decided he was surplus to requirements.
The 24-year-old scored the decisive goal to give holders Arsenal a 2-1 win over United at Old Trafford in the FA Cup semi-finals on Monday, but said it had not been a case of claiming revenge.
“Manchester United is a club that means so much to me,” Welbeck said, in quotes published by the BBC yesterday. “I’m a fan and it’s hard to knock them out.”
Despite celebrating his 61st-minute winner, which came after United captain Wayne Rooney had cancelled out Nacho Monreal’s opener, Welbeck was granted a warm reception by the supporters of his former club.
“I’ll always respect the fans,” he said. “I had a lovely reception from them and I’m thankful for that.”
Welbeck was moved on at United partly to accommodate Radamel Falcao, who signed from Monaco in a reported £6 million loan deal with a view to a £43,5 million transfer.
The Colombia star has failed to impress in Manchester, scoring only four goals in 20 appearances, and Van Gaal offered an unconvincing justification of his motives for bringing him in at Welbeck’s expense.
When it was put to him that Falcao was struggling, he told a journalist: “He has scored four goals and has three or four assists, so that is his contribution. He stimulates also the other players, so that is an aspect of the profession.
“But it is now easy for you to say that. You are very happy to say that. I see that in your face.”
To the suggestion that four goals was a meagre return for a world-renowned striker, Van Gaal replied: “I cannot change that. I cannot change facts and you know that, but you can continue (asking).”— AFP.
Online Reporter