Danny Welbeck Explains Timid Display Against Ostersund

By The Editor
on 16th February 2018

Danny Welbeck said he was wary of the 4G pitch in Sweden…

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Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck said he was wary of the 4G pitch at Ostersunds ahead of our Europa League tie given his recent injury record, he told BT Sport.

Welbeck has suffered two major knee injuries in the past 24 months, missing almost 16 months in total as he continues to find his way back to full fitness.

The 27-year-old said he’s heard stories about the toughness of 3G and 4G pitches and how robust they are on the legs, which may have explained his rather timid display.

Arsene Wenger was advised by the medical staff to rest the former Man United man the last time we played on an artificial pitch at Sutton United last spring.

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“Obviously the 3G pitch out there [was hard] and I’ve had some injuries in the past, but I made sure I’ve done my rehab pretty well,” Welbeck said.

“You hear little stories about playing on 3G pitches after injuries. I felt fine, the pitch was just a bit hard. I’m just looking forward to getting more minutes under my belt.”

Welbeck is currently our only available senior striker for the Europa League with Pierre-Emerick Aubamenyang ineligible and Alexandre Lacazette out with a knee injury.

Having said that, he did very little to prove to Wenger that he’s the man to lead us all the way in this competition with yet another sub-par display.