Ashley Young has expressed his disappointment that Danny Welbeck moved to Chelsea this summer rather than returning to Manchester United. The former England international, who played alongside Welbeck at Old Trafford for four years, described his old teammate as 'fantastic' and said he was 'gutted' the striker did not rejoin the Red Devils.
Welbeck's Move to Chelsea
Chelsea secured Welbeck's signature from Brighton for a fee in the region of £5million, with the 35-year-old signing a two-year deal. The move marked a shift from Chelsea's recent youth-focused transfer policy as they looked to add experience ahead of Xabi Alonso's first season as manager. The Blues had earlier beaten Arsenal to a £117million deal for Morgan Rogers.
Just two days after Welbeck's arrival, 36-year-old Jordan Henderson terminated his contract at Brentford to also join Chelsea, further bolstering the squad's veteran presence.
Young's Praise for Welbeck
Speaking to talkSPORT, Young said: 'Chelsea have made some good signings and they need some experience in that squad. He's a really good friend of mine, Welbs is. I've been speaking to him the last couple of weeks.'
Asked if Welbeck was excited about the season ahead, Young replied: 'Yeah, of course he is. He's delighted to be signing for Chelsea, especially at this stage of his career. He's proved himself time and time again. Could he have been on the plane going to the World Cup? For me, I'm probably being biased in saying he should have, but he wasn't. He's been fantastic and I'm gutted he hasn't gone back to United, to be honest.'
Neville's Support
Gary Neville, another former Manchester United teammate, also backed the move. Speaking on Sky Sports News, Neville said: 'I said ten years ago that Manchester United should never have sold Danny Welbeck. He's gone away and done brilliantly well. He's coming into a little cameo at the end of his career but he's fantastic player.'
Neville, who worked with Welbeck as a teammate and as an England coach, added: 'I worked with him obviously as a team-mate, I worked with him with England as a coach and he was fantastic for England. And he's been good in the Premier League as well. It's a good move for Chelsea and it gives them a real option up front.'
Chelsea fans got a first glimpse of Welbeck in their colours during a pre-season clash with Juventus, where he played 45 minutes. The Blues return to Stamford Bridge for their final pre-season fixture against Real Sociedad next weekend, before opening their Premier League campaign away to Fulham on August 24.
