Does Welbeck have a future at Manchester United?

Following rumours last week in the football betting news that Manchester United are the latest club to be taking a look at Atletico Madrid goal machine Radamel Falcao it might be time to assess who is likely to make way for the Colombian should he move to Old Trafford this summer. Whether it’s Falcao or another striker, Sir Alex Ferguson seems determined to bring in another forward this summer and it could be Danny Welbeck, rather than Wayne Rooney who makes way.

A quick look down United’s top scorer chart will tell you Welbeck has underperformed in front of goal this season, bagging himself just two goals in all competitions. In comparison, Robin van Persie, Javier Hernandez and Rooney are all well into double figures. While the England forward has often found himself played out wide this term he surely should have more than two goals to his name in over 2000 minutes of action.

Meanwhile, Hernandez has played over 100 minutes less than Welbeck and has 16 goals. With figures like that the Mexico forward is unlikely to be moving anywhere just yet.

Rumours of Rooney’s demise have been circulating since he was left out of the second leg of the Red Devils’ Champions League tie with Real Madrid. Paris Saint-Germain are said to be interested but as Rooney proved on Sunday with his man of the match display against Stoke from midfield his adaptability makes him a good asset to have.

The former Evertonian might not have grabbed the headlines with his goalscoring exploits this season but he has nine assists to his name so far, and the stats tell us he creates a chance every 39 minutes in a Premier League match. In comparison, Welbeck needs 56 minutes to create an opening and has four assists on the board.

At 22, Welbeck has reached that stage in his career where he needs to be playing week in week out, a guarantee he is unlikely to get with Van Persie occupying his preferred role up top. If he is to keep himself in the England picture then maybe the time has come to leave and find a club where he will feature regularly, much like Daniel Sturridge has done. Welbeck will never be considered a flop at United and despite his poor showing in front of goal this season has to be considered a bright talent for the future, just maybe not at Old Trafford any longer.