Discover how the reborn, goal-scoring Danny Welbeck, defying age and injury, could be the missing piece England desperately needs.
Should Danny Welbeck be in the England Squad?
Danny Welbeck's lack of selection in Thomas Tuchel's initial England squad has raised eyebrows across the footballing world, not just down on the South Coast!
Whilst it would be incredibly easy to be biased here, let's remind ourselves just how much of a different player Welbeck is now, in 2026, than he was back when he was last included in the squad in 2018.
In 2020, Brighton signed Welbeck on a free transfer, a deal that would prove to change his entire career trajectory within half a decade. It isn't unreasonable to say he has improved year upon year, despite now being 35-years-old. Sometimes, the finest wines exist in football.
His brace against Liverpool was his 11th and 12th Premier League goals respectively - second most a single goalscorer has achieved in one season since Glenn Murray in 2018/19. Given the form he’s found himself in towards the end of this season, he shows very little sign of slowing down.
His 12 league goals place him above any other English goalscorer in the league. Including the likes of Ollie Watkins, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Cole Palmer. Not to mention, more than Hugo Ekitike (11) and Viktor Gyökeres (11)!
One of the biggest concerns when Welbeck first signed for Brighton was his injury record. Even Sir Alex Ferguson alluded to Welbeck as being one of the best academy stars to come out of Carrington, but his goals return never truly reflected that.
Of course, a big part of this was the sheer number of games missed through injury. Consistent knee injuries plagued his career at Old Trafford and at Arsenal. Missing around 183 games across both clubs, and his short stint at Watford.
Compared to his past five years at Brighton, missing 42 games, switching most of these to hamstrings and other muscular issues with short periods out (never exceeding 11 games missed, compared to up to 41).
Welbeck was missing close to multiple years out with injury, but Brighton found that solution early when he was first signed. The rewards? Mind-blowing.
He is Brighton's all-time top scorer in the Premier League, but it isn’t just his value on the pitch. He is renowned for his good personality and efforts towards promoting young players and being a core figure of the squad. Having players with such experience and quality, especially at a club of Brighton’s stature, is immeasurably beneficial.
How does this help England? Well, it’s as clear as day, in all honesty. On the pitch, he’s vital. As Harry Kane’s understudy, there are not many other strikers of the mould like Welbeck who will drop deep, link up play, hold up the ball and also crash the box with goals. He also takes free kicks and scores goals from outside the box.
His impact off the field can be just as important, too.
Instilling a winning mentality is something England have lacked for the longest time. Wayne Rooney recently labelled his former teammate as “reborn”. Having someone who knows the feeling of defeat, blossoming into a national star, now that is what I call a winner.