Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has revealed his “completely honest” verdict on the Premier League giants re-signing Danny Welbeck from Brighton.
FA Cup holders Man Utd exited the competition on Sunday afternoon as they were beaten on penalties by Premier League rivals Fulham.
This fresh disappointment adds to what’s already been a dire season for the Red Devils, who are 14th in our calender year Premier League table.
Head coach Ruben Amorim is the sixth-favourite to be the next Premier League manager sacked and one of his many issues is Man Utd’s lack of threat in attack.
Strikers Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have underperformed this season, so Man Utd are expected to sign a new striker during this summer’s transfer window.
It remains to be seen who Man Utd will try to sign, but they have been encouraged to give Welbeck a second chance at Old Trafford.
Speaking last month, United legend Gary Neville explained why Welbeck was “let go too quickly” by the Premier League giants.
“He was let go too quickly at United,” Neville said on Sky Sports.
READ: Man United crash out of the FA Cup to Fulham and it feels more mundane than magic
“If you think about [former United boss] Louis van Gaal, obviously his style of play is very precise.
“Danny wasn’t precise in his game back then. So he just let him go, just didn’t fancy him at all.
“But he’s actually perfect for how Man Utd should play: threatening space in behind, playing off front players… And this idea he’s not good enough for Manchester United is absolutely rubbish.
“He’s good enough to be in a pool of three or four strikers at Manchester United, just like, for instance, Liverpool have three, four, five forward players across that front line. They’re all of differing abilities and different talents. But they all contribute at a certain point in the season.”
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The 34-year-old has been a consistent operator for Brighton since joining the Premier League side from Watford in 2020, but he has reached a new level this season.
The veteran forward has significantly increased his goalscoring numbers as he’s scored eight goals in his 25 appearances in all competitions this term. He has also contributed four assists.
Welbeck scored the winning goal as Brighton beat Newcastle United to advance in the FA Cup and during the BBC’s coverage of this match, Rooney gave three reasons why Man Utd should re-sign the former England international.
“Danny, he’s great to play alongside and if I’m being completely honest, I’d would probably still like to see him here playing for Manchester United,” Rooney said.
“He scored goals throughout his career, had injuries in early part of his career, but seems to have got over them and he’s having a fantastic season.”