Danny Welbeck

Daniel Nii Tackie Mensah Welbeck (born 26 November 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Brighton & Hove Albion.

He joined United during the 2005–06 season, making his debut for the club's under-18 team on 8 April 2006 in a league match against Sunderland.

He then came on as a substitute in the next match, before being named as an unused substitute in the team's last two matches of the season.

The following season, he made a further 28 appearances for the under-18s, scoring nine goals, including eight appearances and one goal in the FA Youth Cup, in which he helped the team to reach the final, despite being two years younger than some of the other players.

He was not handicapped despite suffering from Osgood–Schlatter disease, and was making rapid progress, despite his pneumonia.

Welbeck signed his first trainee contract in July 2007, and started the 2007–08 season in the under-18 team, but was quickly promoted to the reserve team, making a number of substitute appearances.

Welbeck made his way through the youth teams at Manchester United before making his senior debut in 2008 and scoring in the process.

He was with United when they won the 2008–09 League Cup and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup before being sent on loan spells with Preston North End and Sunderland.

Then, in January 2008, he was called up to the first team for the trip to Saudi Arabia to play Al-Hilal in Sami Al-Jaber's testimonial match.

Welbeck made his debut in that match on 21 January 2008, coming on as a 65th-minute substitute for Anderson.

Welbeck had the chance to snatch a draw for United when he was brought down in the penalty area in the final minute, but he put the penalty kick over the bar.

He joined the first-team squad partway through the 2007–08 season, and made his competitive debut for the Manchester United first team on 23 September 2008, starting up front in a 3–1 home win against Middlesbrough in the League Cup Third Round.

Welbeck's Premier League debut was made on 15 November 2008, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute for Park Ji-sung against Stoke City.

He marked his debut with a curling 30-yard shot into the top right corner for United's fourth goal in a 5–0 win.

He started in the 2009 League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium on 1 March 2009, in which United beat Tottenham Hotspur 4–1 on penalties after a 0–0 extra-time draw.

On 23 September 2009, Welbeck scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season, the only one of the match in the League Cup Third Round against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Welbeck made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 1–0 home defeat to Beşiktaş in November 2009.

On 25 January 2010, Welbeck became Alex Ferguson's son Darren Ferguson's first signing as Preston North End manager since he took charge earlier in the month, signing on loan for the remainder of the 2009–10 season.

As part of his recovery, he took part in a training session at Manchester United's training ground, but his knee swelled up again.

The injury required surgery and Welbeck's loan was cut short on 16 March so that he could return to Manchester United for the operation.

On 12 August 2010, Welbeck became Steve Bruce's eighth summer signing after Sunderland signed the United striker on loan for the duration of the 2010–11 season.

Welbeck scored the only goal as Sunderland beat Bolton Wanderers on 18 December 2010, and also scored on 1 January 2011 as Sunderland defeated Blackburn Rovers 3–0.

His form for Sunderland prompted widespread calls for an England call up, but on 5 January, he picked up a hamstring injury in a victory at Aston Villa, ruling him out for eight weeks.

From the 2011–12 season, Welbeck was a regular figure in the Manchester United first team.

Welbeck made his debut for the England national team in March 2011 in a 1–1 friendly draw against Ghana.

He made his return on 5 March 2011, in a 0–0 draw away to Arsenal, coming on as a substitute for Steed Malbranque in the 68th minute; he almost scored a late goal that would have won the match for Sunderland in the 83rd minute, but his shot was saved by Wojciech Szczęsny.

He picked up an injury in the 4–2 home win over Wigan Athletic on 23 April, and he returned to Manchester United for treatment for the remainder of the season.

Welbeck was given a starting berth in the 2011 FA Community Shield match at Wembley Stadium on 7 August 2011.

United won the match 3–2, having trailed rivals Manchester City 2–0 at half time.

He scored his first senior international goal on 2 June 2012, the only goal in a friendly victory over Belgium.

Welbeck has gone on to represent England at UEFA Euro 2012, the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, earning 42 caps.

Welbeck was born in Manchester to parents from Ghana, and was raised in the Longsight area of the city.

Welbeck was first spotted by Manchester United as a six-year-old.

At eight years old, he impressed with local team Fletcher Moss Rangers, and was finally picked up by the Manchester United youth academy.

The following month he signed a new contract, keeping him at Manchester United until 2013.

He was transferred to Arsenal in September 2014 for a £16 million fee.

His debut for Sunderland came on 14 August as an 83rd-minute substitute for Darren Bent in a 2–2 home draw against Birmingham City.

On 14 November, Welbeck scored his first Sunderland goal as he completed the scoring in a 3–0 away victory over Chelsea, rounding off what was described as an "impressive individual performance".

Eight days later, Welbeck scored his first home goals for Sunderland, striking twice in a 2–2 draw with Everton.

In August 2019, Welbeck joined Watford, following his release by Arsenal at the end of the previous season, before joining Brighton & Hove Albion a year later.