Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I’LL BE SPOT ON THIS SEASON
Welbeck is finally fully fit and he’s raring to go for the Gunners
DANNY WELBECK is determined to finally show what he can do in an Arsenal shirt after three years of frustration.
He has enjoyed some good times at the club after winning the FA Cup twice, but has also been dogged by injuries.
The Arsenal striker, who joined from Manchester United in 2014, missed two large chunks with a knee problem, which also ruled him out of England’s Euro 2016 campaign.
But after starring in Arsenal’s FA Cup win in May, he is also going into this preseason fully fit and raring to go after his stop-start three years at the Emirates.
Welbeck said: “It’s been frustrating, I’ve spoken about it in the past and it’s not nice. Obviously you’ve got to deal with the injuries, but that’s behind me now and I’ve got to kick on.
“I have got to build a base for pre-season and hopefully stay injury-free for the season.
“I haven’t had the best of luck with injuries, it’s hindered my progression and where I want to be, but hopefully I can stay injury-free and really show what I can do. “It’s been a couple of years, it’s obviously nice to be fit for pre-season. I’m fit, not match fit, but going into it injury-free is good for me. Build a base, I can build on that for the rest of the season. “I got fit last season, but you also have to take your time with it and build up steadily through the levels and to be back out here in a pre-season – my first preseason for three years.”
Welbeck knows that he now faces new competition for forward places with the arrival of £52million signing Alexandre Lacazette (left).
But Welbeck, 26, is up for the challenge and reckons it is also the most open title race for years – and believes the Gunners are in with a shout.
He added: “From when I was a little boy playing in the academy, you’ve always got competition wherever you may be and it’s something you learn to deal with and you just want to keep on improving. It makes you hungrier.
“It’s going to be an exciting season. There’s a lot of strong teams, a lot of teams making great additions to their squads. It will be exciting, we’re ready for the season and we’re looking forward to it.”