Arsene Wenger hopes Arsenal star Danny Welbeck has now put injury hell behind him
DANNY WELBECK emerged into the gloom and mist of Deepdale and out of the darkest period of his career to help Arsene Wenger maintain his extraordinary love affair with the FA Cup.
Arsenal's Danny Welbeck is back in training after injury
No manager in history has won more FA Cup titles than Arsene Wenger’s six and, in two decades in English football, the Frenchman has never been knocked out in the third round.
That proud record remained intact – just – after Olivier Giroud’s dramatic late winner but the appearance of Welbeck as a late substitute may prove just as significant for Arsenal, after the England forward proved he has shaken off the anguish of his lengthy injury troubles.
“I think he went from certainly desperation because the setback he had was absolutely atrocious,” said Wenger. “The patience you need when you’re that age was terrible and to miss the European Championship on top of that, after missing the start of the season.
“But he worked hard and it will make him stronger what happened to him.
“But you have to go through it and that was a very difficult moment for him, I think he suffered a lot but I hope, touch wood, that he now will have a clean career.”
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Danny Welbeck made his first appearance since May
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Arsene Wenger hopes Danny Welbeck can leave his injury problems behind him
Wenger spent hours talking with the former Manchester United star in a bid to help him cope with the mental anguish of his latest, knee ligament trouble, an injury that had kept him out for the whole of this season and which followed an injury that sidelined him for the first half of last term.
But the manager said that, ultimately, Welbeck had to deal with his fightback on his own.
“We talked with him of course but when players are injured they are a little bit out of my sight,” said Wenger. “In a way as well, a football club when a player has a long-term injury, sometimes it is better you get him out and away.
“Even if he is with other players, it is players who are injured as well, when he comes in here, sees everybody go out there and has to stay.
“A football club is built for people who are competitive, so some mentally its difficult so we let him go outside as well and mixed his time.
“I don’t know why people do not have a positive opinion about it. Inside our game? I would have been devastated to go out tonight, so we are focused to compete, really.
“Somebody reminded me yesterday I have never gone out in the third round in 20 years, that means because I care about the competition. I think there is every year a debate. For me there is no debate. It’s a fantastic competition.”
However, Preston’s combative midfielder Ben Pearson thought the Premier League superstars might have underestimated the underdogs.
“When you play a team like that you’ve got to put yourself about,” he said. “All the lads put a shift in, I don’t think any player can say they left anything out there.
“I think they didn’t start with the intensity we showed, maybe they thought it wasn’t going to be as hard as it was.”
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