“When he says something like that, you take note of it.”

Danny Welbeck has revealed what happened on Manchester United’s journey back from The Stadium of Light  last season, after Man City pipped them to the title with a last minute goal.

United’s game had finished and they looked set to become champions of England for the 20th time before Sergio Aguerro swooped in to hand City their first title since 1968. The look of dejection on some of the player’s faces will be a lasting memory of that day, as they were seconds away from the title before cruelly having it ripped away from them.

But Sir Alex Ferguson refused to allow the players to be down and instead, Welbeck claimed, challenged them to use that as fuel to fire them on:

“On the last day of the season, when we were travelling home from Sunderland he went round the coach, spoke to a few of the youngsters and said ‘you will never forget this, this will win you titles. This will make you into men and be the best you can be’.

“When he says something like that, you take note of it. I will never forget that day.”

And Welbeck is more than ready to do so. Starting with Everton tonight he is dreaming of win his first Premier League title, something made even sweet as it would taken back from rivals City:

“How the last day of the season finished was epic.

“It was not good for us but it was for the other side of Manchester.

“I am a United fan. We lost it to our biggest rivals, so it did hurt that little bit more. It cut deep. It would be massive for us to win it back off them.”