Louis van Gaal: Danny Welbeck was more a substitute than a line-up player for Manchester United

File photo of Louis van Gaal at a training session (Welbeck was at United then) earlier in the season

Louis van Gaal has claimed that Danny Welbeck was only good enough to be on the Manchester United bench. Manchester-born Welbeck who came up from being a schoolboy to becoming a first-team United player is scheduled to face his former club this weekend since he moved to Arsenal in September.

Welbeck was more a substitute than a line-up player

Since leaving United, Welbeck has scored 10 goals for both club and country, which includes a Champions League hat-trick against Galatasaray. Despite the 23-year-old’s performances with his new club, Van Gaal told the reporters that he still believes that he did not need to explain his decision to sell Welbeck in order to get Falcao and also promote the youngster Wilson.

"I don’t have to prove that [I was right]," Van Gaal remarked..

"Why do I have to prove that? I have already said what I think – he was not a line-up player, he was more a substitute than a line-up player. He was already, with different coaches, not a line-up player, but then with Mr Van Gaal, the world is changing? No, the world is not changing. They are the facts. They are not my facts, they are the facts of Danny Welbeck and we have [Robin] Van Persie and we had Wilson, and when you keep Welbeck, then you don’t give any chance to youngsters and that is our philosophy.”

He added, "And then also we could buy Falcao. When that is not enough reason then I don’t know what is – then I’m not a very good manager."

Still not the right time to judge the Welbeck decision

The Manchester United head coach also stated that Welbeck may have benefited from the chance given to him by Wenger but he insists that it is still too early to judge whether his decision to leave the club was a right or a wrong one.

"For Welbeck, it was a very good decision because as a line-up player, he develops himself much more," Van Gaal said. "And if it was the right decision for Manchester United, it is dependable on how we play, how we score and in what position we shall finish in the league.

"But after that you cannot say it is a very good decision or not because we are in another process to Arsenal. They have a manager who has been there for 18 years and the playing style in 18 years is the same, so that is very different. Here, Welbeck doesn’t play every match. Mostly he doesn’t play."

Radamel Falcao, who was brought in place of Danny Welbeck, is again out for two more weeks because of a calf injury.