The ‘making’ of Danny Welbeck

Will Welbeck's spell at the Deepdale see him become the player he is expected to?

Following Manchester United’s defeat to Leeds in the FA Cup 3rd round somethings became painfully obvious. Despite glimpses of brilliance Gabriel Obertan is far from the final product, Gary Neville is very much near the end of an illustrious career and Danny Welbeck is NOT a winger.

There had been much excitement about the local lad who had worked his way up through the system at Old Trafford and when he announced his arrival on the big stage with a spectacular 30 yard effort against Stoke last season it seemed he was ready to shine.

Fergie  even famously declared him a dark horse for England’s 2010 World Cup squad but that looks an extremely long shot as chances have been hard to come by for the tall striker who has not been particularly impressive in his sporadic appearances, especially whilst on the wing.

So now Darren Ferguson, Sir Alex’s son, has taken the 19 year on loan to Preston will he finally find his feet?

United’s association with Preston has been fruitful before and David Beckham had a spell at there during the 94-95 season and impressed scoring twice in his 5 appearances but Welbeck can expect to see a lot more action than that and it will benefit both parties.

From my experience of Welbeck, he tends to dwell on the ball a little too long, something he won’t get away with in the Championship so if the spell works that out of his game alone, I and many other United fans will be happy. Best case scenario the spell well see Welbeck mature at a much faster rate than he would playing a bit part at Old Trafford. It will allow Welbeck to get games under his belt consistently at a decent level playing in his preferred position as well as toughen him up in order to prepare him for a career in the Premier League at United.

Welbeck is still very raw and at the age of 19 many have written him off as not United class but those that have seen him playing for both the academy and reserves and make the step up at each level will know that he is more than talented enough to cement a place at the club.

If the loan spell turns out as well as Fergie is hoping, Welbeck could be well on his way to becoming the local striker that he has been hankering to produce in his 23 year spell at the club.