Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand would be loath to see Danny Welbeck join Chelsea rather than return to Carrington.
The striker is an MUFC academy product who was promoted to the first team in 2008 after impressing Sir Alex Ferguson.
In 2014, the Englishman joined Arsenal, where he spent the next five years of his career. A one-year stint at Watford was followed by a free transfer to Brighton in 2020, where he has been enjoying an Indian Summer.
Rio Ferdinand tells Danny Welbeck to reject Chelsea, await Man Utd
At the age of 35, Welbeck is enjoying what many consider the best football of his career. The stats show he has been more prolific than ever.
Therefore, a section of Man Utd supporters have been urging INEOS to bring him back to Old Trafford.
Season Club Apps Goals Assists
2008/09 Manchester United 13 3 N/A
2009/10 Manchester United 11 2 N/A
2009/10 Preston North End (loan) 8 2 N/A
2010/11 Sunderland (loan) 28 6 1
2011/12 Manchester United 39 12 3
2012/13 Manchester United 40 2 3
2013/14 Manchester United 36 10 3
2014/15 Arsenal 34 8 3
2015/16 Arsenal 28 5 2
2016/17 Arsenal 29 5 3
2017/18 Arsenal 43 10 3
2018/19 Arsenal 14 5 1
2019/20 Watford 20 3 1
2020/21 Brighton 24 6 2
2021/22 Brighton 29 9 2
2022/23 Brighton 33 8 3
2023/24 Brighton 30 5 1
2024/25 Brighton 31 10 4
2025/26 Brighton 40 14 2
(Welbeck’s stats per season)
But while United have yet to make a concrete move for the veteran, Chelsea have decided to launch an onslaught, as reported by The Athletic journalist David Ornstein on Monday.
At this stage, Welbeck’s move to West London has been set in motion, but Ferdinand urges his former teammate to turn it down and await Man Utd’s approach.
“Welbs…. Ignore + come back home! Champions League football next season in Manchester,” posted the legendary defender on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
📱 Welbs…. Ignore + come back home!
Champions League football next season in Manchester https://t.co/HHLpaR96gW
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) July 27, 2026
Should Welbeck think twice about joining Chelsea
After six years at Brighton and at the age of 35, this could be Welbeck’s last opportunity to rejoin a top club.
Even though Chelsea won’t play in Europe this season, they could re-emerge as a serious Premier League challenger under Xabi Alonso.
On the other hand, a move to Man Utd isn’t on the horizon. So unless INEOS decide to show concrete interest in the next few hours, the striker should, by all means, jump at the opportunity to sign for the West Londoners.
It should be noted that United are unlikely to pursue a new attacker before offloading one of their own. Joshua Zirkzee appears to be the most likely candidate to depart, with Juventus reportedly keen to sign him.
Marcus Rashford is another MUFC star who’s available on the market, but finding a suitor willing to cover his salary remains a challenge.
Michel is a football journalist based in Beirut who has been passionately following Man United for over 20 years. He is a Law graduate and a member of the Beirut Bar Association. In addition to writing for Utd Report, he is also the Head Writer for The Laziali has been a Featured Writer on other websites including Juve FC, and The Cult of Calcio, and Stretty News.
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