The Danny Debate

"He was not a line-up player; he was more substitute than line-up." This was Louis Van Gaal's critical summary of Danny Welbeck's previous squad status at Manchester United. Danny Welbeck joined rivals Arsenal in the summer for a fee of £16m and sparked a major debate in England. Was Van Gaal spot on with his views or was selling a mistake?

Van Gaal has opted to spend big in an attempt to get instant success, something that is much needed following the previous season of disappointment. In doing so, Van Gaal saw it necessary to sell Welbeck and gamble on the fitness of hired gun Radamel Falcao.  

A player with unquestionable ability following his years in Europe tormenting defences, the Columbian has fitness doubts following a serious knee injury in January that robbed him of a world cup campaign and huge wage demands following his arrival from billionaire backed Monaco, who were recently ordered to pay £50m in an attempt to coincide with French tax laws and remain in Ligue 1. 

But, to accommodate such a house hold name, Manchester United found themselves with more strikers than sense, with Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie, Jamie Wilson and soon loaned Javier Hernandez all vying for a spot. Welbeck was deemed the lesser of the bunch and was sufficiently sacrificed. Van Gaal's policy to develop youth has seen Jamie Wilson feature in the side this year.

A Welbeck hatrick sunk Galatasaray in the UCL 

The sale brought a mixed reaction. Many fans questioned why the club had put in so much effort to coach and create a player of Welbeck's quality if they are to ultimately sell them to aid rivals in what many pundits believed was a cut-price fee. Fans had watched the Englishman develop from a clumsy, gangly and frustrating forward into a striker that was considered a important player to Sir Alex Ferguson and a fully fledged international. 

It makes you wonder, would Sir Alex Ferguson have sold Danny Welbeck? The answer is no. In charge for 25 years, Ferguson avoided selling big stars to rivals and placed huge faith in the Manchester United academy, something that seems to be lost a little with Van Gaal's desperation for a silverware remedy. Furthermore, it makes you wonder if assistant manager Ryan Giggs supported the Dutch manager''s decision having witnessed Welbeck play since he was a junior and develop into a team mate. 

There was a reason Welbeck featured often under Van Gaal's Scottish predecessors David Moyes and Sir Alex Ferguson. He would work hard  for the team, even if goals didn't always come you could count on Welbeck to give his all, hassle defenders on the ball and chase after loose balls. He would make runs that created space for others and was versatile also, able to adapt to the wings and even behind the striker.  Under Moyes, you could see Welbeck's frustration playing out wide but, he would often do a job out wide even if it wasn't spectacular. Moyes favoured him out wide but it brought little success moving a striker to the wing.   

The Dutchman waved goodbye to Welbeck this summer

There is no doubting Welbeck needs to add more goals to his game and was a common theme at Old Trafford. He did not score enough for a striker of Manchester United's quality and would often squander chances players like Van Persie and Rooney thrived on. But, he would more than often feature in the big games as managers knew he would work hard and put in a solid performance even if he didn't hit the back of the net.  

A rival of Manchester United and no doubt a serious contender that the Red Devil's will need to be wary of in the battle for a champion's league spot, selling to Arsenal aided the enemy in the sale. Desperate for a natural central striker with just Oliver Giroud and Yaya Sanago the only two, it looked as if the conservative Arsene Wenger was content to head into the season with a paper thing forward line.  

However, the Gunners left it to the last minute to secure the deal on deadline day. If Manchester United had not sold, Arsenal would have been seriously fragile and most likely in big trouble as it was not long until Giroud succumbed to injury. The sale in that sense, was a mistake as they had given a huge boost to the London based club. If Van Gaal was desperate to sell, he should have looked abroad for suitors or sold to a club that would not be threat to Manchester United.  

Welbeck has developed into a international regular in recent years

However, Welbeck has not had the impact he would have wanted at Arsenal in the early days at his new side, much to the annoyance of Arsenal fans. Just two goals and in nine appearances in the Premier League, Welbeck has not hit the back of net as many times as people thought he would now he was playing in his favoured central striker role and getting regular game time.  

Those who support Van Gaal's sale point to the £16m man's lack of goals, but it would be premature to write off Welbeck as a flop at his point. Still only 23, Welbeck can still produce for Arsenal for some time and his form for England of late suggests he could become the goal scorer he has not yet been at top flight level. 

The question remains unanswered still and only time will tell if Louis Van Gaal's decision was a stroke of genius or a mindless sale to a rival. Will Manchester United be left red faced over the transfer or is Welbeck not gunner deliver?