Danny Welbeck will not be part of Arsenal’s pre-season
Danny Welbeck will not be part of Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Asia but it is not due to any concerns about an impending departure from the club.
Manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed that the striker has still not recovered sufficiently from the injury problems that he suffered towards the end of last season. It was Welbeck’s first season at the Emirates stadium and one that ended in a positive note after the club won the FA Cup. Welbeck played a significant role throughout the campaign, but he missed some important matches due to injury. The FA Cup final was one of them, but Arsenal did not suffer without the former Manchester United man as they romped to a 4-0 win over Aston Villa.
Arsenal will be travelling with a party of 27 players, but Welbeck will be one of the key absentees. Even new signing Petr Cech has been included after he has completed the £ 10 million move from Chelsea just in time. The Czech Republic shot stopper is expected to be named as the number one goalkeeper at Arsenal straightaway, but he does face a lot of threat from Szczęsny. It appears that the Polish international has won the race to stay at the Emirates, as it is expected that Ospina will be the one leaving the club this summer.
"Welbeck isn't completely recovered from the problem he had. He is not back in full training, so he will stay behind,” said Wenger. The first season was a mediocre one on a personal level for the 24-year-old England striker. Even though he cost only around £ 16 million, fans were expecting him to score beyond the double figures. Yet, he could only manage eight goals in all competitions and he took 33 matches to achieve this goal return.