Welbeck starting to show he can perform on the big stage

A few years ago Danny Welbeck was the youngster coming through at Manchester United that the fans held out most hope for.

Ordinary loan spells at Preston, and then Sunderland, made it easy to conclude that Welbeck would be another academy player who didn’t quite make the grade.

But an impressive return to United at the start of this season (cut short only by injury) and a recent goalscoring streak has shown just what the 21-year-old is capable of.

His goals, as well as his overall work rate and pace, leaves Welbeck very much Sir Alex Ferguson’s first choice alongside Wayne Rooney at this moment in time, and it is that partnership that Fabio Capello may want to utilise in this summer’s European Championships.

Seeing Welbeck starting ahead of Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov at the start of the season was a big surprise, but he has shown again why United fans should forever trust  Ferguson's decisions.

The aspect of Welbeck’s form that is most impressive is that he has scored against Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham this season, and it’s the goals in the past two away games at the Etihad and the Emirates that are most encouraging.

I am a huge fan of the mercurial talents of Dimitar Berbatov, and believe he has been treated very harshly in the past 12 months, but it is his lack of goals against top sides that has arguably left Sir Alex opting for Welbeck instead.

Indeed that is possibly the key reason why Berbatov was (wrongly in my opinion) left out of the squad for the Champions League final in May.

Ferguson should refrain from selling Berbatov because he has a lot still to offer, as he has shown in recent weeks with eight goals in 16 appearances this season.

Meanwhile, Hernandez has been hampered with niggling injuries in the first half of the season and has seen his form drop from the dizzy heights of his debut season as a consequence. The Mexican has not scored since November, but has such electric movement and natural predatory instincts that a regular return to the scoresheet is not far away.

Overall, its fair to say that for the first time since United won the treble in 1999, Sir Alex has four top quality strikers to choose from.

Rooney, Welbeck, Hernandez and Berbatov do match the ability and goal threat that Yorke, Cole, Sheringham and Solskjaer posed over ten years ago.

And it is Welbeck who is currently the star man. 
Only time will tell if he can really establish himself at the top level.

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