Danny Welbeck has been one of the disappointing stories for Arsenal in the last couple of years.

The club signed him from Manchester United with a lot of hope, but he has spent a significant chunk of the last two years on the sidelines. Welbeck has been extremely unlucky with regard to injuries, as he has suffered two major knee injuries in the space of 24 months. As a result, he has made just 19 appearances in the last two campaigns. Welbeck has yet to enter into incredible figures for a season with regard to his Arsenal career.

After a huge spell on the sidelines, he recently returned to first-team action through the FA Cup game against Preston North End. His first goals of the season came in the 5-0 demolition of Southampton in the FA Cup. This victory helped Arsenal secure a romantic FA Cup tie against Sutton United, who play in the nonleague. One of the challenges of going away against a nonleague team is the state of the pitch.

However, the pitch is expected to be conducive for playing good football since it is an artificial 3G pitch. This means bad news for Welbeck, as he has only returned from a major knee injury. The decision has been taken not to risk the player for this crucial game.

"Glad to get 70 minutes today to build up my match fitness. Plastic pitch at Sutton isn't the best idea at the moment,” said Welbeck. The game against Southampton remains is the only start made by Welbeck since his return from the injury. Manager Arsene Wenger is extremely cautious to protect the player. Rather than risking for a game against a nonleague opponent, it is expected that Arsenal will nurture the player towards the end of the season with the hope of having him in the starting lineup from next season onwards.