Danny Welbeck hopes for his comeback in the English national team. The striker is experiencing a second spring and is being celebrated in England.
It was a moment that couldn’t be more symbolic of the second spring in Danny Welbeck’s career. With the score at 0-3, the striker set up the ball for a free kick in the 74th minute, curled it over the opposing wall, and scored from just under twenty meters into the left corner.
Welbeck, born in Manchester, has been playing for Brighton & Hove Albion since 2020. The opponent last Saturday? Of course, Manchester United. Precisely the club that first trained Welbeck, with whom he celebrated winning the Champions League in 2008 without making an appearance, and which ultimately let him go in 2014.
Danny Welbeck could be on the verge of his comeback for England
Since then, Welbeck has found his luck again, scoring five goals in Brighton’s last four league games, becoming Brighton’s top scorer in Premier League history with 38 goals, and is on track to score more goals in his thirties than in his twenties.
After a seven-year break? Welbeck hopes for England comeback
Just about a month before his 35th birthday, the Englishman could now receive a special gift. Consistent media reports suggest that national coach Thomas Tuchel is very impressed with Welbeck and could nominate the center forward not only for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers but possibly also for the tournament in the summer of 2026.
“I asked the team if they think Danny Welbeck can play for England, and they all agreed,” explained Brighton coach Fabian Hürzeler during the League Cup match against Arsenal.
Although Hürzeler advised waiting, he also said: “I am very convinced by my players. I strongly believe that Danny can play for England, but England has a great coach who will make the right decisions.”
The last nomination for the Three Lions was over seven years ago. Welbeck last played for England on September 11, 2018, in a 1-0 friendly win against Switzerland. Welbeck can look back on an actually successful national team career. In 42 games, he scored 16 goals for England and participated in the 2012 European Championship as well as the 2014 and 2018 World Cups.
Welbeck? “All the qualities Thomas Tuchel is looking for”
On his YouTube channel Rio Ferdinand Presents , former United defender Ferdinand also strongly advocated for a Welbeck comeback, having played alongside him in 71 games.
In the current ranking of English center forwards, the 34-year-old comes “right behind Harry Kane,” said Ferdinand, demanding: “If the World Cup squad were announced tomorrow, Danny Welbeck would have to be in it. He is experienced and can give you different things on the pitch. He can make deep runs but also come short—and as a link-up player, no one is better than him except Harry Kane. He is an all-round footballer.”
Besides his sporting performance, the experienced Welbeck could also benefit from his personality. BBC reporter Ian Dennis recalled a special experience with Welbeck: “We were once on a flight to Florida, on a family vacation, and my son said to me: ‘Danny Welbeck is sitting at the back of the plane.’ And I replied: ‘That can’t be.’ I thought Danny would be sitting at the front—and indeed, suddenly he comes up to the front and says: ‘What are you doing here?’ I said: ‘Ah, I’m on a family vacation, nice to see you.'”
“He is such an incredibly nice, dear guy, and I agree: I think he has the personality, the character, the professionalism, the drive—all the qualities Thomas Tuchel looks for in a player. Danny Welbeck possesses them in abundance,” raved Dennis.
Injury slowed Welbeck’s career
That Welbeck can even hope for an England comeback and found his luck again late in his career—after over 120 competitive games each for United and Arsenal—is also due to a tragic series of injuries.
Welbeck was repeatedly sidelined. He missed the 2016 European Championship with a knee injury. A broken ankle in 2019 sealed his departure from Arsenal, where he was also often criticized for poor chance conversion.
At his youth club Manchester United, he couldn’t establish himself, as coach Louis van Gaal saw no place for Welbeck alongside star strikers Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney. After Radamel Falcao and Ángel Di María joined the club in the summer of 2014, Welbeck’s chapter at United, which began in the youth academy in 2001, came to an end.
For Ferdinand, the sale to Arsenal for 20 million euros was “completely wrong.” “A boy from Manchester who loves the club, and a great guy who never causes trouble. Why sell him?” wondered the United icon.
But Welbeck didn’t let the setbacks get him down. The striker said after his brace against Newcastle United on October 18: “I have a passion and love for football. That’s what I want to do. I feel good. I feel strong and fit, so I won’t be stopping anytime soon.”
Watkins, Solanke, or Welbeck: How will Tuchel decide?
An assessment that former pro Micah Richards agreed with on BBC : “He is just a fantastic professional. I mean, he did have his knee injuries, but he is playing in a system that suits him. I think he still has three to four years ahead of him. I don’t think he will retire soon.”
Despite being almost 35, the end of his career currently seems a distant topic. A national team comeback after eight years seems much closer.
Especially since England is the only team in Europe to have already secured their World Cup ticket, and Tuchel can afford to experiment in the upcoming qualifiers.
While the recently nominated Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke continue to struggle with form, Welbeck can prove once again against Leeds United on Saturday that he can be the best option behind Harry Kane.