Dwight Yorke has labelled the £16m-fee United received for Danny Welbeck a disgrace. The 1999 Treble-winner was stunned when Arsenal completed a deadline move for the England striker.
Dwight Yorke has labelled the £16m-fee United received for Danny Welbeck a disgrace.
The 1999 Treble-winner was stunned when Arsenal completed a deadline move for the England striker.
But he was even more amazed when he saw the size of the price tag.
Yorke is convinced Arsene Wenger has secured a bargain in the 23-year-old, who was a product of United’s famed academy – adding that his value is only set to rise at the Emirates Stadium.
Louis van Gaal delivered a withering assessment of Welbeck’s ability when explaining his reasons for selling him last month.
The United manager claimed that his strike-rate simply failed to live up to the standards set by Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie.
Following the loan signing of Radamel Falcao, Van Gaal decided that there was no room for Welbeck at Old Trafford.
Yorke believes United should have brokered a similar loan deal for Welbeck – or at least demanded a higher fee in a summer that saw fellow England internationals Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana move for £27m and £25m respectively.
“£16m – that’s a disgrace,” he said. “When Lallana and Shaw have gone for £25m and £27m, that’s pathetic.
“That’s why I cannot understand the market. He had to be a loan deal – especially with Falcao not signing permanently.
“You could let Danny Welbeck go on a year’s loan, get some money and have that option. He’s worth more than £16m in today’s market. Shaw and Lallana – they’re worth that much more than Danny Welbeck?
“I don’t think so. Not with his pace and power.”
Yorke’s assessment came before Welbeck struck his first senior hat-trick in Arsenal’s 4-1 win against Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday.
But that scintillating performance – taking his record to four goals in his last three games – only endorses Yorke’s contention that Wenger has landed a coup.
“Arsene Wenger cannot believe it,” he said. “Welbeck doesn’t get as much credit as he should.
“Arsene Wenger will realise that he’s got a bargain. His power – unbelievable. Pace, strength. And he will get better.”
Welbeck scored 29 goals in 142 games for United.
His most prolific campaign came in 2011-12 when he scored 12 times.
But his record is misleading, given his restricted opportunities to play as a central striker.
Yorke added: “People will recognise what a player he is. He cannot do it when playing left or right. He’s been playing out of position for so long.
“The poor kid has not had a chance to shine where he wants to play.
“How can you score wide left or right? He’s never played all season up front. He would get double figures.
“He’s been deprived goal-scoring opportunities. People don’t understand that. You’ve got to practice to be in that position.
“He’s a threat every time he plays. He’s a threat to defenders. That’s what you want. He’s 23. Someone needs to give him that chance to win games.
“It’s a specialised position. You don’t get it from playing wide. That’s a learning curve.
“I learned out wide before moving into the centre and Thierry Henry did the same. Then you get your position.”
Wenger turned Henry into one of the finest strikers in the world when converting him from a winger to a centre forward.
And England assistant and former United captain Gary Neville believes the Arsenal manager could transform Welbeck too.
He said: “When he went to Arsenal it just took off for him and if Arsene Wenger can work with Danny Welbeck in the same way as he did with Thierry Henry he will get an absolute bagful of goals if he is consistently playing.”
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