Danny Welbeck

Manchester United

Welbeck was first spotted by Manchester United as a six-year-old. At eight years old, he impressed with local team Fletcher Moss Rangers, and was finally picked up by the Manchester United youth academy. He joined United during the 2005–06 season, making his debut for the club's under-18 team on 8 April 2006 in a league match against Sunderland. He then came on as a substitute in the next match, before being named as an unused substitute in the team's last two matches of the season. The following season, he made a further 28 appearances for the under-18s, scoring nine goals, including eight appearances and one goal in the FA Youth Cup, in which he helped the team to reach the final, despite being two years younger than some of the other players. He was not handicapped despite suffering from Osgood–Schlatter disease, and was making rapid progress, despite his pneumonia. Welbeck signed his first trainee contract in July 2007, and started the 2007–08 season in the under-18 team, but was quickly promoted to the reserve team, making a number of substitute appearances. Then, in January 2008, he was called up to the first team for the trip to Saudi Arabia to play Al-Hilal in Sami Al-Jaber's testimonial match. Welbeck made his debut in that match on 21 January 2008, coming on as a 65th-minute substitute for Anderson. Welbeck had the chance to snatch a draw for United when he was brought down in the penalty area in the final minute, but he put the penalty…

England youth squads

Welbeck made his England under-16s debut as a 14-year-old in October 2005; he replaced Nathan Porritt in the 70th minute of the 4–0 win against Wales in the 2005 Victory Shield. England would go on to share the Shield with Wales after finishing level at the top of the table. He then progressed to the England under-17s team, scoring the decider in a qualifying match against Serbia, to help his team progress to the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. The tournament saw England finish as runners-up to Spain, which secured the team a place in the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea. There, Welbeck scored two goals against New Zealand, helping England to reach the quarter-finals in their first involvement in the tournament. Welbeck was originally intended to be a squad member for England's European Under-19 Championship campaign in July 2008, but was forced to withdraw. He eventually made his debut for the under-19s on 9 September 2008, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 win over the Netherlands. Welbeck made his England under-21 debut on 10 February 2009, in the 3–2 loss to Ecuador, coming on for Adam Johnson. He followed this up with another substitute appearance in a 2–0 home defeat to France on 31 March. He was then named in Stuart Pearce's original 23-man squad for the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Sweden on 27 May, but he had to pull out of the squad on 31 May, due to an injury. On 7 September 2010, Welbeck scored his…

Due to his height and running style, Welbeck has been compared to former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor, but styled his game on another former Arsenal forward, his boyhood hero Thierry Henry. He has also been known for his work-rate and has been described as strong, quick, and very good in the air. Critics have acknowledged the strength in Welbeck's style of play such as his work-rate, pace and intelligence in following tactical command, especially after his performance in both of Manchester United's Champions League knock-out stage matches against Real Madrid in 2013. Welbeck has been praised as a big game player. Under former England manager Roy Hodgson, who favoured the 4–3–3 formation, Welbeck's ability in supporting the attack, pressing the midfield, and hold up play fit well into the system.

Daniel Nii Tackie Mensah Welbeck was born on 26 November 1990 in Manchester, to parents from Ghana, and was raised in the Longsight area of the city.