United’s teenage striker Danny Welbeck is targeting more
involvement in the Reds senior team after being given a taste of
first-team action on the recent trip to Saudi
Arabia.
The skilful 17-year-old striker, who was part of the squad that
reported for duty against Portsmouth, made a distinct
impression as a substitute in the 3-2 friendly defeat to Al Hilal
in Riyadh last week.
Reds boss Sir Alex Ferguson says Welbeck, an England U17
international, will now be regularly involved with the
first-team and could be given his competitive debut before the end
of the current season after being handed the squad number 47.
For Welbeck, it was back to Under-18 duties last
weekend, scoring the first goal in a 3-3 draw with
Everton.
“I’m trying to get as many goals as possible,” he told
MUTV. “I scored again for the U18s and I
want to keep on scoring goals.”
But the lure of first-team football is intense, especially after
his experience in the Middle East.
“It was great,” the Manchester-born forward declared. “The players
and the coaches were all really welcoming. They helped me get
through it all. The training was so quick, but it was a good
experience.
“It was a shame that I missed the penalty, but I’m over that now. I
hope I can be involved with the first team more often, which can
only help me improve as a player.”