Danny Welbeck has been urged to think carefully before rejoining Manchester United in January, with Paul Dickov suggesting the Brighton striker should resist a return to Old Trafford. The 34-year-old has been linked with a surprise move back to his former club following an impressive start to the season.
Welbeck has scored six goals in 11 Premier League appearances, making him the highest-scoring Englishman in the division this term. Burnley's Jaidon Anthony is second with four, while Arsenal's Bukayo Saka and West Ham's Jarrod Bowen have three each. His form has also sparked talk of a shock England recall for next summer's World Cup, with Thomas Tuchel lacking an obvious deputy for Harry Kane.
United could be in the market for another striker in January after Benjamin Sesko suffered a knee injury in the 2-2 draw at Tottenham before the international break. Welbeck, who came through the club's youth system and scored 29 goals in 142 appearances before leaving for Arsenal in a £16 million move almost 12 years ago, has been mentioned as a potential target.
However, Dickov believes Welbeck should consider staying at Brighton. "Danny's been excellent. He seems to get better as he gets older," he said. The former striker also pointed out that Sesko, a big-money summer signing, would likely return to the starting lineup. "Any striker joining United in the winter will know that Sesko will be coming back, and almost certainly play ahead of him."
Dickov added that the January market is difficult and that Welbeck may not even want to leave Brighton or be allowed to do so. "At the back of his mind, he's going to be thinking 'How many games am I going to play?'" he said. Welbeck has scored 16 goals in 42 England caps but has not featured for the Three Lions since 2018, when he was at Arsenal.
