Arsenal Vs Sutton: Where The Hell Is Danny Welbeck?

Danny Welbeck is set to start in an under 23 game on Sunday, meaning he will miss Arsenal’s clash with Sutton on Monday. What the hell is going on?

Reintroducing injured players to regular first-team football can be a challenge. It is one that Arsenal and Arsene Wenger have had to navigate on numerous occasions. Such is the difficulties that many members of the squad have had with long-term injuries, Wenger is experienced in easing them back into the action.

Related Story: 30 Greatest Transfers In Past 30 Years

That is why it is difficult, perhaps even naive of me, to criticise his management of Danny Welbeck. The striker suffered a nasty knee injury late last season and only started training with the first-team a little before the new year.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 observations from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park

Since then, his opportunities have been scarce. But when he has been on the pitch, whether played in his more natural central role or out wide, Welbeck has looked extremely sharp, scoring twice in the five-goal dismantling of Southampton in the fourth round of the FA Cup. It is that competition, the FA Cup, that offers Wenger the perfect chance to give Welbeck some much-needed playing time.

Imagine the surprise, then, to see that Welbeck was set to start in an under 23 game against Leicester City on Sunday, just a day before the fifth round trip to Sutton. It is not unusual to see senior players who have just returned from a significant absence play a number of reserve or youth team games as they look to re-find their fitness.

However, Welbeck started the previous FA Cup tie and enjoyed great success in doing so. It would seem sensible to start him once more in the subsequent round. But Wenger sees different and it is difficult to understand why.

While an away tie to Sutton should not be underestimated, especially given the recent difficulties that Arsenal have faced and the fact that their pitch is artificial, something that Wenger and his players have little experience of, Welbeck is seemingly the perfect candidate to lead the line. He is capable of devastating performances, especially against lesser sides, and would relish the opportunity to do so in an environment that does not have the pressure of a Premier League or Champions League tie.

Next: Arsenal: 30 Greatest Players In History

To not play Welbeck, then, is a decision that I cannot understand. Perhaps there is some underlying, private issue that dictates otherwise, but from an external point of view, I can only ask: Where the hell is Danny Welbeck?