Arsenal: That might be it for Danny Welbeck

Danny Welbeck suffered a horrific ankle injury during Thursday night’s 0-0 draw with Sporting CP. Unfortunately, that might be it for his career at Arsenal.

Danny Welbeck has rarely had a lucky run with injuries. Unfortunately, that is the nature of some people’s bodies. They are simply more injury-prone than others, and few understand that more than the Arsenal striker.

Catch the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal podcast right here

Welbeck suffered a horrific ankle injury during the 0-0 draw in the Europa League group stage on Thursday night. It has not, as of writing, yet been announced the severity and extent of the injury, but, after the match, Unai Emery confirmed that Welbeck went to the hospital to undergo some tests and that the fear is that it is a serious problem:

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 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
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

"“He is at the hospital. The news is that we are going to wait, but we think it’s a serious injury.”"

It remains to be seen what injury Welbeck actually has — I will not be speculating here. But one thing is clear: it is unlikely that he will be able to play again this season. If he does, it will certainly not be for an extended period and he may never quite be at his full match sharpness.

The severity of this injury begs a rather unfortunate question, as it did with Santi Cazorla last season: Could Welbeck’s time at the Emirates now be over? Was Thursday night the last time that we got to see the dangly-legged striker in an Arsenal shirt? It is quite possible.

Welbeck is in the final year of his contract. With or without the injury, it was quite plausible that this was going to be his last year in north London anyway. Now, that possibility only becomes more likely, as proven by Cazorla last term.

Moreover, under Unai Emery, there is no loyalty to Welbeck. That may seem like a harsh thing to say at this stage, given the extent of the injury. But Welbeck has had just a matter of months to impress Emery. He may not have done enough to convince the Gunners to re-sign him to a new deal. And that is contingent on him recovering from this injury successful, which is not even close to being a guarantee.

It is a shame to admit as Welbeck, I believe, is an invaluable member of this squad, even if he is not a regular starter, but it might be time for Arsenal to call it a day. Not only is he now coming off yet another long-term injury, but with Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson coming through, could it now be the time to rely on the youth talent to provide depth?

I wish Welbeck all the best in his recovery. But sport is a ruthless world, and this, sadly, could well be the end.