Gary Neville names Man Utd star club should never have sold - but Roy Keane disagrees
Gary Neville and Roy Keane have once again found themselves at loggerheads over Manchester United's decision to sell academy product Danny Welbeck to Arsenal in 2014
by Nathan Ridley · The MirrorRoy Keane disagrees with Gary Neville's verdict that Manchester United should 'never' have sold former striker Danny Welbeck.
Welbeck, who's scored four goals in seven Premier League games this season for Brighton, left boyhood club United in 2014 to join rivals Arsenal in a £16million transfer deal. The 42-time England international had been tipped for a long and successful career at Old Trafford, having risen through the ranks before scoring a 30-yard pearler on his United debut under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2009.
But after new Red Devils manager Louis van Gaal viewed him surplus to requirements, Welbeck headed to north London and has stayed down south ever since. The 33-year-old made a total of 126 appearances over five seasons at Arsenal before a one-year spell with ultimately relegated Watford.
Brighton then snapped him up in he summer of 2020 and he's helped the Seagulls become a secure Premier League side who even played in Europe last season. This term under new manager Fabian Hurzeler, Welbeck is enjoying a purple patch, prompting Neville to compare him to United's current ailing strikers after fellow legend Keane joked about Welbeck going back to Old Trafford.
"He's in better form than any of the United front players, by far," Neville noted on the Stick to Football podcast. "Danny Welbeck, to be fair, should never have been let go at United."
Keane then got serious and wasn't having it. "Oh, I don't know about that, Gary," the ex-Red Devils captain retorted. "We can't keep saying that about players just because he left."
Neville continued the debate, though, arguing: "Roy, if you've got a squad of 24, 23, and you want to keep five or six strikers, he's got to be one of those. You've got to keep him."
Get involved! Should Manchester United have sold Danny Welbeck in 2014? Have your say in the comments section.
Keane responded by saying: "Sometimes a player leaves and has a really good career, it doesn't mean to say they were good enough for Manchester United."
Another former United captain and club legend, Wayne Rooney, played alongside Welbeck for five years at United and isn't surprised by his ex-team-mate's run of form. "I think one of his biggest strengths was winning the ball back high up the pitch," Rooney explained. "He was aggressive, you'd go and press and he'd win it back high up the pitch.
"His touch was good and we had a real good connection. He was bright, he was clever with the ball, he was good to play with, he was quick."
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