Welbeck – I could be back by the New Year

Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck has had his fair share of injury problems since joining the north London club from Premier League rivals Manchester United on Deadline Day of the summer transfer window in 2014.

Having started brightly, scoring a hat-trick just a month into his contract with the Gunners against Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League, many would be forgiven for thinking that Welbeck could be the answer to the worries of many supporting the team in red and white – but injuries persisted and this meant that the England international’s progress was halted constantly, losing his place in the side and the confidence of both supporters and his manager.

Having helped Arsenal on their way to FA Cup glory toward the end of the 2014/15 season, famously scoring the winner at Old Trafford against his former side, Welbeck’s injury problems caught up with him and in the summer of 2015, the 24-year-old underwent surgery on his niggling knee issue, but is targeting his return to action in the not-so-distant future.

It’s difficult to put an exact date on it, around the new year.

After I had the operation, I was in a leg brace for about four weeks which wasn’t easy. I had to do a lot of machine work, about six hours a day.

Sleeping in a leg brace isn’t good. At night it’s not comfortable, it’s the first time I’ve slept on my back in years.

It’s good to finally be out of the brace now and walking. It feels like I’m getting that little bit closer to getting back out on the pitch.

With England having recently qualified and despite Welbeck targeting a return in just a few months, he has admitted that he has not thought about Euro 2016 just yet – getting back to full fitness for his club is his main concern.

I am not looking ahead to the Euros at the moment.

I need to get back for Arsenal first, then see what happens. It is never good to get injured at any point. It is frustrating.

I missed the back end of last season, then came back into pre-season training and you go through it all again with the rehab. It is frustrating.

But it is something which is part and parcel of the game. It is something I have to deal with.