I didn’t leave the house for six weeks but Tyson got me off the canvas
DANNY WELBECK has revealed his injury nightmare turned him into a housebound recluse – the perfect preparation, he jokes now, for a summer in Repino.
The Arsenal striker’s problems started with a knee injury in March 2015 which eventually led to an operation six months later.
Another six months after that he made his comeback, only to suffer a hyaline cartilage problem at the end of the 2015-16 season, which kept him out for a further eight months. Even this season, he has battled against groin problems and a hip injury.
But the darkest days came after he went under the knife – and as he struggled even to stand up, Welbeck confined himself to barracks.
“People might get bored but, for me, with all the injuries, I went through a period of not even leaving my house,” he said. “Then, after six weeks, when I went back to training, I was literally going just there and then straight back home.
“I had so much time on my hands. Straight after surgery, I couldn’t put weight on my leg for two months so I was just sitting around reading. I read more books then than I did when I was in school.”
From the various sports psychology tomes and autobiographies, ‘Relentless’ by Tim Grover stands out alongside ‘Undisputed Truth’, REPORTS the Mike Tyson autobiography. Does Welbeck see himself as a fighter, he is asked at St George’s Park. “I’m not just a fighter, I like to give love as well,” Welbeck grins. “I’m a lover too.”
With that wide, confident smile the mood of the whole arena relaxes. As one of the more senior members, you sense Welbeck is a dependable presence at the heart of Gareth Southgate’s squad.
He may be perfectly comfortable with the mental intensity of a major tournament training camp, but others are not. Footballers, as a rule, exude nervous energy and some are going to struggle with being cooped up this summer.
Who, for instance, would be the biggest nightmare to be stuck with in a lift?
“It’s out of Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford,” Welbeck replies with barely a moment’s thought. “I can handle them for a small period of time but then if it goes on too long...
“Marcus was in my room the other night and I just wanted to go to bed – ‘Just get out of my room’!”
The magazine-style questioning continues as Welbeck offers up some rare insight into life the other side of the curtain. Who, for instance, would win a foot race? “We’ve never had a race,” Welbeck prevaricates initially. “How far are we talking? I mean there’s Mo Farah and then there’s...” Suddenly, he commits to the task. “Over 100m?” he says, transitioning into full David Coleman mode.
“Raheem would be rapid out of the blocks, say for the first 10 yards, then there are a few boys that would catch him up and take him. Marcus is quick, Kyle Walker... there are a lot of quick players in the squad.
“With football it is different because you don’t see players running 100m – perhaps Kyle when he comes from the back and goes on an overlap. I haven’t seen Ruben LoftusCheek really go for it yet, he might be quick.
“Football is more about agility and stuff in tight spaces. There are a lot of players who are quick over 10 yards or a longer distance. Put it this way, there are a lot of players who would back themselves, we just haven’t had a race.”
It is that internal rivalry that Welbeck, one of the few veterans of the previous World Cup disappointment in Brazil, can drive England to unexpected success this summer. Provided, of course, it is channelled in the right direction.
“You can see in training how intense it is and how competitive everybody is,” he said. “We demand a lot from each other as well.
“Then it is just about using the down time to make sure you prepare right for training the next day. One thing is for sure – we’re not going to be having races up and down the corridor to see who’s the quickest!”