Proud Wenger thrilled with Welbeck’s comeback

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is adamant striker Danny Welbeck deserves a lot more credit than he gets for coming back from a double-injury blow.

The 26-year-old England striker has spent the last 20 months out with two knee injuries, and made his first start for the Gunners since May in Saturday’s FA Cup rout of Southampton.

Welbeck fired a double, with his superb 15th-minute finish setting the tone for Arsenal’s 5-0 fourth-round victoy.

And Wenger insists Welbeck is due a lot of credit for showing the mental resolve to bounce back and then putting in the hard work to get out on the pitch again.

“I wondered first of all if he’d be solid enough mentally to cope with that,” he said. “I’m not a medical specialist but you hope that it will all go well after he comes back after the second surgery.

“He worked very hard and he went through some moments of very deep disappointment.

“When he had the setback and we had to go in the knee again, when you’re a professional football player, that’s absolutely difficult.

“After the first disappointment, he became even more resilient and worked even harder.

“He’s highly respected inside the club because he has shown so much dedication, never moaned, worked very hard and everybody is delighted for him.

“I think it was great to see that he hasn’t lost his runs, he hasn’t lost his finishing. It shows as well, when you are able to transform that frustration of not playing into efficiency, that’s a special guy.”