Danny Welbeck has revealed leaving Manchester United for Arsenal was the right thing to do and that he has had no regrets about leaving Old Trafford since he completed his move to the Emirates.
On Saturday, the 23-year-old will face United for the first time since his move to Arsenal, as his Louis Van Gaal’s men travel to the Emirates for their first game after the international break, hoping to clinch their first away win of the season.
“When you’ve been somewhere for so long and then you’re going to start a new chapter in your career, you’ve got to think about it a lot,” Welbeck told the Manchester Evening News. “Over the past year or so, I started to think about what’s best for me.
“At the time I was playing on the left wing a lot and in a 4-4-2, which is very difficult for me because I can’t make an impact on the game. I can play it to the best of my ability but that’s not best for the team, and I could make a bigger impact playing in my preferred position.
“You start to have thoughts but at that time you’re still going to training and I was still giving 100 percent and giving my all in every single game — that’s just me, I’m not going to change that. But you do start to think about what’s best for you.”
Welbeck has scored five goals in 12 appearances for Arsenal since moving down south in the summer and has been in excellent form for England, netting five in his last six appearances for the national team, though he admitted leaving Manchester wasn’t easy.
“It’s a bit different in London, because obviously I was born and bred in Manchester so that’s a place I know like the back of my hand. I went to school there and you really get to know the city. Manchester is much smaller so you do know a lot of people in the vicinity,” he said.
“There were a lot of people in Manchester that I was connected to so it is a bit different coming to London and not knowing as many people.
“But it’s going well. Arsenal is the place for me to advance my career and take me to the next level.”
