Welbeck has the last laugh over van Gaal…
Arsene Wenger has heralded the mental fortitude of Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck after his second half strike knocked his former club Manchester United out of the FA Cup.
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The England forward struck early in the second half to secure the Gunners a 2-1 trip at Old Trafford, his first return to his boyhood club since he was sold by Louis van Gaal in the summer.
Van Gaal justified his decision at the time by saying Welbeck was only good enough to be a substitute and promptly replacing him in the squad with subsequent flop Radamel Falcao.
But it seems Welbeck will be having the last laugh with his goal essentially condemning United to a second season without a trophy win in 26 years, and Wenger was full of praise for his star forward at the final whistle.
“We all want to do well when we play against our former club, to show we are great players, but it is not easy to deal with the mental aspect of it,” said Wenger, reports Guardian.
“He focused just on his game and played football the way he wanted to. He has showed mental strength.”
It was a shock start for Welbeck who had been in and out of the Arsenal side over recent weeks and Wenger revealed just why he selected him ahead of Olivier Giroud at Old Trafford.
“He has pace. You have as well as psychological consideration and as well I have to rotate a bit without destroying the balance of the team and I felt we had counterattacking chances and he would be ideal for that. He had a great game.”