Arsene Wenger pleased to have Danny Welbeck back in contention for Arsenal
Arsene Wenger is ready to unleash Danny Welbeck back onto the Premier League after insisting the Arsenal forward could have prevented England’s humiliating Euro 2016 exit if he had been fit.
The 26-year-old returned from a second serious knee injury in the space of two years in the recent FA Cup third-round win over Preston.
Welbeck, signed from Manchester United in the summer of 2014, played for just four months last year after returning from a long lay-off before he was again forced to miss eight more months with a new issue.
That saw him miss out on a place at the European Championships in France, where Roy Hodgson’s Three Lions were knocked out after a humbling 2-1 defeat to Iceland at the round of 16 stage.
But now he is building up his fitness and is likely to play some part in Arsenal’s clash with Burnley at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday — with Wenger revealing why he believes the forward is such a popular figure among the club’s fan-base.
“First of all he is hugely popular because he did very well with England before he got injured, he was the centre-forward of England, let’s not forget that,” he said.
“England failed at the European Championship and you cannot stop people from thinking ‘If Welbeck was there he would have helped us win against Iceland.’
“Secondly he is a young, promising striker — he has a fantastic spirit and people sense that. He is genuine, committed and humble and you do not find that too many times together.
“Maybe as well people feel sorry for a guy who hasn’t played for two…