Danny Welbeck of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the FA Cup Quarter Final match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford on March 9, 2015 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
When asked to explain his deadline-day sale of Danny Welbeck to Arsenal, Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal explained that he thought the then-23-year-old was only good enough to make the Red Devils’ bench. The fact Welbeck had gone on a scoring tear since leaving Old Trafford did not cause the Dutchman to change his opinion one bit.
“I have already said what I think – he was not a line-up player, he was more a substitute than a line-up player,” Van Gaal said of Welbeck, who grew up supporting United and worked his way through its youth ranks to become a fixture on the senior team.
We only bring this up because, well, hindsight is 20-20 and Welbeck returned to Old Trafford on Monday and delivered the blow that knocked Man United out of the FA Cup in a 2-1 Arsenal victory.
To add insult, Antonio Valencia‘s poor back pass to goalkeeper David De Gea placed Welbeck’s opportunity for revenge on a platter as De Gea found himself in no man’s land scurrying to beat the oncoming Welbeck to the ball. De Gea whiffed at knocking the ball away and Welbeck had the easiest tap-in goal of his life to make it 2-1 Gunners in the 61st minute.
In his postmatch interview, Welbeck was asked about his celebration against his old club.
“Did I?” Welbeck said. “I think basically once the emotion takes over it’s kind of difficult to keep it in. But obviously I try to be respectful as well because this is a club that’s meant so much to me and still does. I’m a Man United fan. It’s quite hard to knock them out of the Cup.”
With the victory, Arsenal will play the winner of the Bradford-Reading quarterfinal in the semifinals at Wembley. Agency report
