Danny Welbeck has enjoyed a great career in the Premier League and many believe Man Utd shouldn't have let him go.
Danny Welbeck (pictured centre) left United in 2014.(Image: 2007 Manchester United)
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When Brighton visited Manchester United in October, Danny Welbeck returned to Old Trafford as one of the most in-form strikers in the Premier League, having scored four goals in his last three games.
United won 4-2, but the end of the game was unnecessarily nervy after a late surge from Brighton, who sensed an opportunity to get back into the contest after a free-kick from Welbeck.
It was the eighth goal of Welbeck's career against his former club, and it's almost certain a few will have murmured "we should never have sold him" from the terraces. Welbeck departed in 2014, and he's scored goals at a steady rate throughout his career in an era in which United have spent a total of £310million on strikers.
Arsenal signed Welbeck from United for £16million. Radamel Falcao had arrived on loan that summer, Wayne Rooney was 29, Robin van Persie was 31, and Javier Hernandez was 27.
It didn't feel like a mistake to sell Welbeck at the time, but with the benefit of hindsight, most now believe he should have been kept, including former United assistant Rene Meulensteen.
"I liked him a lot as a young player," Meulensteen told the Manchester Evening News. "The only thing that Danny didn't have was the same prolific goalscoring instincts that somebody like Ruud van Nistelrooy had.
"He didn't have the instincts of the strikers who live and die for scoring goals. Danny was obviously happy to score goals, but over time, he has improved that side of his game.
"When he was still young and coming through the ranks, he was tactically very gifted because we came through the academy skill programme that I put in place, and he fared so well with that
"He's a tall, strong boy, but he's got fantastic feet and a great brain, so he's a fantastic link striker, bringing others into play. He's got clever flicks in his locker to bring others into play. He's got a change of pace. And you look at his career and the various goals he has scored for all his clubs, it's impressive."
Welbeck after singing for Arsenal in 2014.(Image: 2014 The Arsenal Football Club Plc)
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Meulensteen continued: "Like you said, he's been very steady, and he's got longevity. He's 34 now and, to be fairly honest, if you see his longevity and think how the Premier League has improved, let's say in the last 10 years, to be able to constantly perform as he has, that's been remarkable.
"But in some ways, not a surprise because Danny is a top player. He's got great intelligence and has looked after himself really well. Every time there are games, I always look forward to watching him.
"What I've always liked about Danny, he always plays with a smile on his face. He's been a huge credit to every club he's played for and like I said, Brighton should be delighted to have him."
Discussing how Welbeck was regarded in the academy, Meulensteen said: "I think everyone could see he was a very promising player and a very nice boy. Danny didn't try to be the centre of attention.
"He was gentle and a lovely kid. He had enormous potential. In terms of in training, I would say Danny, if you look at Ruud Van Nistelrooy, look at Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and all the other great strikers that we have had, finishing is one of the elements of their game that you need to work on.
"He would love to score a goal, but he wasn't a natural goalscorer. When Ruud scored once, he would be dying to score a second, and if he managed that, he would kill to score his hat-trick."
Van Nisterlooy was one of the most instinctive finishers the Premier League has ever seen, but can that be taught? "You teach it at an early age to get the technique right," Meulensteen explained.
"But the next thing is giving the players the understanding because there is a variety within finishing. How do you place the shot? How do you lace it from outside the box? Or how do you hit a volley?
"There are so many different techniques. And the technique has to be taught early on, and then it has to be perfected in training. The next step for strikers is having the intelligence to understand where they are in front of the goal in relation to the goalkeeper and defenders.
"All that can be improved. The more you practice, the better you get, because that is the secret to all good finishers, but for us as coaches, it was down to us to come up with these challenging drills that the players could improve by doing.
"I always wanted to get the strikers to a point where they felt all the goals they had to score on a matchday, they had already scored during a training session. Because if that happens during a game, it's second instinct, and you can just grab it from your hard drive. You already know what to do."
Welbeck scoring a free-kick at Old Trafford in October.(Image: 2025 Simon Stacpoole/Offside)
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So, should United have kept Welbeck? "Yes, 100 per cent," Meulensteen responded. "He was under Van Gaal when he left, and if you look at the way he wanted to play football, which was possession-based, but in my opinion too slow, then Danny would have been the perfect guy for that.
"He could have played through the lines, linked up with the play and joined in. I felt that it was a shame, especially for a player with Manchester United DNA, that he was let go so easily."
The importance of having players from the academy who understand what it means to represent United has been a talking point over the last 18 months, with Scott McTominay leaving to join Napoli, and Kobbie Mainoo looking likely to request to leave the club on loan in the January transfer window.
Meulensteen said: "It's very important, but we've moved too far away already because when United were still under the control of Sir Alex Ferguson, he made sure there was a block stream of young talent coming through. He understood that was the DNA of the club, the culture and identity.
"If you look at what United have lost since then, it's exactly that. They've lost that culture, the DNA and what the club was. They are still a big brand and a big club, which will never go away, but in terms of the identity of what United stood for when they were playing, that was important.
"It wasn't easy for young players like Danny Welbeck to come into the fold and find their place amongst players like Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Wayne Rooney and all of them.
"The needle has moved so much now, and the position of Man United has changed so much, that the players who are coming through in the academy don't necessarily have the capabilities and mental abilities to step in straight away and be consistent. And then there have been so many different influences from different managers. United have another now with Amorim, who is set in his ways.
"Kobbie Mainoo isn't getting a look in, Scott McTominay was sold. If you look at the most recent example of a player being sold with United DNA, that was McTominay. He wasn't a Carrick or a Scholes, but he had his own value to the club because he had the United blood running in his veins."
Welbeck left United over a decade ago, but perhaps a lesson should be learned from his departure.