Darren Fletcher: 'Manchester United were wrong to sell Danny Welbeck'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 30 March 2017

Former Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher admits that it was a "sad day" when Louis van Gaal sold Danny Welbeck to Premier League rivals Arsenal in 2014.

Former Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher has claimed that the club were wrong to sell Danny Welbeck to Arsenal in 2014.

Welbeck had been with the club since 2001, coming through the ranks before spending six seasons in the senior squad under Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes.

However, the England international joined Premier League rivals Arsenal on deadline day of the 2014 summer transfer window, and Fletcher believes that that decision was one of a number that Louis van Gaal got wrong during his time at Old Trafford.

"Lots of players who left under Van Gaal should still be there in my view. That's not me having a go at anyone, but the day Danny Welbeck was sold to Arsenal was a sad day," he told ESPN.

"He is what a Manchester United player should be about - a local lad, young, great player, team player, somebody who sacrificed himself for the greater good of the team, loved by his teammates. He was on the brink of becoming a top, top player and he would have been a top player for United."

Welbeck has since scored 16 goals in 56 appearances during his injury-ravaged Arsenal career.