Danny Welbeck has played all over the world with Manchester United and England – but says he is very excited about his first trip to China with Arsenal.

The striker will be part of the Gunners squad that head to the Far East as part of their pre-season preparations ahead of the new season and Welbeck says he is looking forward to visiting a new county.

Arsenal will play Bayern Munich at the Shanghai Stadium on July 19 and then face London rivals Chelsea at the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing on July 22.

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Welbeck said: “It’s going to be my first time there, so it’s a country that I’m really looking forward to visiting.

“Obviously, to go there for the first time it’s going to be very nice to take it all in.

“The fanbase out there is very large, so to get some interaction with the fans and for them to see us first-hand is great.

“It’s great to go on these pre-season tours and bond with the fans. I did miss the previous tour through injury and hopefully, this time I’ll be out there and having the pleasure of meeting all the fans and playing in front of them.”

Manchester United have often courted the world’s biggest stars but former midfielder Quinton Fortune believes he knows why the Red Devils missed out on Ronaldinho in 2003 – because of the weather.

After starring at the 2002 World Cup, the show-stopping Brazilian forward came close to joining United from Paris St Germain a year later but was given a tour of the facilities on a rainy day in the north west, and ultimately opted to play the best football of his career at Barcelona.

Ex-South Africa international Fortune, 40, will play against Ronaldinho in the upcoming Legends matches between United and the Catalans later this year, and wishes the two had been team-mates at Old Trafford.

“I think we got it wrong by bringing Ronaldinho in at the wrong time of year as it was raining that day he arrived at Manchester Airport,” said Fortune, who won the Premier League four times with United but only received one winners’ medal by special dispensation, due to a lack of game time.

“Maybe it was summer anyway but, if we’d have timed it with the right day, it could have been a different story.

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“It would have been absolutely amazing to have him here. He’s one of the greatest players ever to play football and entertained with his skill, fun and joy.

“He brought it all and it will be a great occasion for everyone to play against him and watch him.

“I was very fortunate to play for South Africa against him in the Olympics [in Sydney, in 2000] in front of 72,000 fans but, when he was at Barcelona, he was a different Ronaldinho, so I’m hoping we get a glimpse of that and I hope I won’t have to mark him!”.

Everton are one of just six clubs to have featured in every Premier League season to date, although for large chunks of that time, they looked destined to drop into the second tier.

The Toffees finished in the top ten just once in the league’s first ten seasons and only a dramatic final-day comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2 against Wimbledon saw them survive the 1993-94 campaign.

But the appointment of David Moyes as boss in 2002 heralded a turnaround as the Scot led Everton to nine top-half finishes in 11 seasons – including fourth place in 2004-05.

Piecing together the Merseysiders’ greatest Premier League XI (in the classic 4-4-2 formation) is no easy task but a variety of eras are given representation below.

Tim Howard

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Neville Southall can lay claim to being Everton’s greatest goalkeeper of all-time but the affable Welshman was at the peak of his powers during the 1980s and declining slightly by the dawning of the Premier League.

Contrastingly, Tim Howard was 27 when he moved from to Goodison Park from Manchester United in 2006 and became an unbeatable stalwart between the sticks for the next decade.

With 354 games, the American is Everton’s record Premier League appearance-maker and the emotional farewell letter he penned when leaving last summer, stating the club had “become part of my soul”, shows just how much the Toffees meant to him.

Seamus Coleman

For longevity and his cult hero status, many Everton fans might argue for Tony Hibbert in this position but truthfully, Seamus Coleman is a far better right-back than his one-club predecessor ever was.

Signed for just £60,000 from Sligo Rovers in 2009, the classy defender has proven himself to be one of the all-time bargains and made an instant impact when being named man of the match in his Premier League debut against Spurs.

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The Irishman has already made 206 top-flight appearances – just 59 less than Hibbert – and has become renowned for his marauding runs from right-back, scoring 18 goals and contributing a slew of assists.

Dave Watson

Embroiled in relegation battle after relegation battle during the 1990s, Dave Watson racked up more than 200 Premier League appearances for the Toffees and over 400 total games during his 15 years at Goodison Park.

True, his 12 England caps and league title win came in the late 80s but the inspirational skipper was still the beating heart of the team in the following decade.

A centre-back in the traditional mould, he was nonetheless described by Kevin Ratcliffe as “the best centre-half I’ve ever played with” and just edges out other old-school options such as Alan Stubbs and David Weir.

Phil Jagielka

Initially a midfielder when signed from Sheffield United in 2007, it is at the heart of the Everton defence that Phil Jagielka has since made his home.

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A knee injury robbed him of one season, but other than that, the England international, who has accrued 40 caps for his country, has been a consistent presence in the club’s back-four, forming rock-steady pairings with the likes of Joleon Lescott, Joseph Yobo and Sylvain Distin.

All those three were considered for a spot in this team but Jagielka’s almost 300 Premier League appearances, and two Everton player of the season awards get him the nod.

David Unsworth

Honestly, there is little to choose between David Unsworth and Leighton Baines as the greatest Everton left-back of the Premier League era.

Both have made over 300 top-flight appearances for the Toffees and provided an unusual level of dead-ball expertise for a full-back.

Unsworth, who notched an incredible 33 Premier League goals, mostly from the penalty spot, helped the club to their 1995 FA Cup triumph and fully earned the affectionate nickname of ‘Rhino’ he was dubbed with for his physical, gutsy style of play.

Andrei Kanchelskis

He may only have played at Goodison Park for a short while but Andrei Kanchelskis burned oh so brightly during his two-year spell on Merseyside.

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Alongside a slew of limited, if willing, players, Kanchelskis was a class apart as the Russian’s trickery down the flank tormented defender after defender.

He plundered 16 goals during his debut 1995-96 campaign – including both in a 2-1 win over Liverpool at Anfield to guarantee hero status – to help secure the Toffees’ only top-ten finish in the first decade of the Premier League, and his departure for Fiorentina in 1997 was a real blow.

Mikel Arteta

Comfortable on the ball and a superb distributor, Mikel Arteta was seen as the ideal replacement for Thomas Gravesen when he moved to Everton from Real Sociedad in 2005, and the Spaniard slotted right in.

Named as player of the season in each of his first two years at Goodison, Arteta had incredible vision but, much like Gravesen, was also more than happy to get stuck into a tackle.

He departed for Arsenal after 27 Premier League goals in 174 appearances in 2011, and although his exit left a bad taste in Toffees fans’ mouths, he remains one of the club’s best midfielders.

Tim Cahill

Only Romelu Lukaku and Duncan Ferguson have scored more Premier League goals for Everton than Tim Cahill’s 56 and for a time, he was one of the premier midfielders in the division.

Signed for a bargain £1.5million from Millwall, Cahill was the club’s top goalscorer in his first season at Goodison and helped them to their highest-ever Premier League finish of fourth.

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With a heading ability as good as anyone around, the Australian became the first Toffee in 18 years to be nominated for the Ballon D’Or when he made the shortlist in 2006 and he is rightly considered a club legend.

All of that means he is selected for this team ahead of the likes of Gravesen, Lee Carsley, Marouane Fellaini and cult hero Graham Stuart, whose two goals on the final day of the 1993-94 season kept Everton in the top flight

Steven Pienaar

Everton haven’t always been blessed with standout wingers but Steven Pienaar provided a consistent touch of class on the flanks during his two spells at the club.

Having signed from Borussia Dortmund in 2007, the South African’s trickery and creativity unlocked many a defence and he also chipped in with 20 league goals of his own for the Toffees.

Injuries hampered Pienaar towards the end of his time on Merseyside but memories of him and Leighton Baines linking up down the left will bring a smile to many an Evertonian face.

Duncan Ferguson

You don’t earn the nickname Duncan Disorderly without being something of a loose cannon but Duncan Ferguson’s unpredictability only served to endear him to the Everton faithful.

The Scot racked up 60 Premier League goals for Everton, eight red cards (including being the only man to be sent off in the Premier League on Valentine’s Day), four convictions for assault, which included one for an on-pitch headbutt while playing for Rangers, a famous throttling of Leicester City’s Steffen Freund and twice hospitalising burglars who broke into his home – the legend of Ferguson writes itself.

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In purely footballing terms he was, to put it lightly, a handful for defenders and as the only man in Premier League history to score a hat-trick of headers, it was no secret to what he would try to do – but few managed to stop him.

Romelu Lukaku

Arguably just as physical as Ferguson, but inarguably far more skilful, Lukaku broke the Scot’s Premier League goalscoring record for Everton in less than four seasons.

Where the Belgian will play his football next season looks set to dominate the summer headlines but his importance to the Toffees can’t be overstated after already notching 68 league goals for the club.

He cost Everton £28m from Chelsea back in 2014 but has been worth every penny and, still only 24-years-old, this natural goalscorer is set to get even better. Whether that happens at Goodison Park remains to be seen.

Honourable mentions: Neville Southall, Tony Hibbert, Joseph Yobo, Joleon Lescott, David Weir, Leighton Baines, Leon Osman, Marouane Fellaini, Graham Stuart, Lee Carsley, Thomas Gravesen, Wayne Rooney, Kevin Campbell

El Hadji Diouf has aimed another swipe at former teammate Steven Gerrard, claiming his international achievements place him above the Liverpool legend.

Two-time African footballer of the year Diouf, who helped Senegal reach the last eight of the 2002 World Cup, has, for many moons, been embroiled in a long-standing row with ‘Stevie G’, and is never shy of firing a barb in the ex-England captain’s direction.

Forward Diouf, who now works as a government goodwill ambassador in Senegal while also running his own sports newspaper business in Dakar, has reignited the feud in an interview with BBC Africa.

The 36-year-old said: “I have no problem with him. He is a strong character and I am a strong character.

“’Stevie G’ was a very good player. People like him in Liverpool but he never did anything for his country.

“I am Mr El Hadji Diouf – Mr Senegal – but he is Mr Liverpool and Senegal is bigger than Liverpool, and he has to know that.”

Senegal beat defending champions France during their successful 2002 World Cup campaign and Diouf, who also played for Bolton Wanderers, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League, puts his exploits for the Lions of Teranga on par with those of Argentinian icon Diego Maradona.

“We put Senegal on the world map. Before the World Cup, nobody knew Senegal, but after the World Cup, everybody wanted to know where Senegal was,” said Diouf.

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“What Maradona did for his country is what I did for Senegal. I was one of the biggest men at the 2002 World Cup.”

The road from Porto to Huddersfield is one less-travelled but Terriers boss David Wagner has been a left-field thinker since day one in Yorkshire, so perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that he’s raided the Portuguese giants.

Belgian striker Laurent Depoitre is the man he’s brought from the Iberian Peninsula to the John Smith’s Stadium to spearhead the club’s first crack at Premier League football.

The 28-year-old has signed a contract until the summer of 2019, with Huddersfield having the option of a further year’s extension, and while he may not a recognisable name to most supporters just yet, he looks perfectly placed to quickly become a fan favourite.

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Physical specimen

Shelling out a club record fee for a player with no experience of the English game may appear risky, but Depoitre looks ideally built for the rigours of the Premier League.

Standing at 6ft 3in, the centre-forward is renowned for holding off defenders and bringing his teammates into play.

The one-cap Belgium international – who scored in the 4-1 victory over Andorra in October 2015 in his only appearance – is also strong in the air and has proved he has a nose for goal.

Depoitre scored 26 times in 67 games for Gent, including once in the Champions League against Zenit St Petersburg, and that form earned him a move to Porto for 6m euros last summer.

He struggled for playing time at Estadio do Dragao – with the likes of Jesus Corona, Andre Silva and Soares the preferred options of boss Nuno – and netted just twice in 13 appearances.

So a fresh start at Huddersfield could be just what the doctor ordered.

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Something different

Despite their promotion to the Premier League, the Terriers consistently struggled for goals last term; they notched just 56 in their 46 league matches.

Elias Kachunga, who normally operates on the right flank, was top scorer with 12 goals, while main striker Nakhi Wells bagged ten.

Both Kachunga and Wells’ main asset is pace, so Depoitre offers a refreshing physicality as a target man – and has been likened to Crystal Palace’s Belgian star Christian Benteke by media outlets in his homeland, thanks to his power and strength.

It remains to be seen exactly how he fits into life in the Premier League but Terriers boss Wagner is convinced the big man with a degree in Civil Engineering is set up for success.

“He is a proper striker; one who has played for a very good Belgium side, featured in elite European competition and who has won domestic titles,” said the German.

“It is great news that we have had the opportunity to sign a player of his quality and now we will focus on getting him back to the top form he showed only a season ago.

“He scores goals and is a real worker too, so he will fit the ‘Terriers identity’ very well. His attitude on the pitch is exactly what we need, plus he is a very good character off the field too.”

James Milner is confident Liverpool’s new signing Mohamed Salah will waste little time settling in to the Anfield way, as he prepares for a return to the Premier League.

The Egyptian international was previously on the Chelsea books as recently as 2016, though only made three appearances in the Blues’ title-winning campaign in 2015.

Since then he moved to Fiorentina and Roma, both on loan, before signing with the latter permanently in a starring role that saw him accrue 15 goals in 31 league games.

Now the forward is hopeful of a second wind in the English top flight, with Liverpool’s Milner supporting his optimism ahead of his side’s return to the Champions League.

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“The way we play, you can’t have any passengers,” said the England man.

“Everyone mucks in and we’ve got great team spirit. Everyone gets on the front foot and gets the press; it only takes one person not to do it for it to break down.

“He’ll fit into that really well, with and without the ball. He’s very dangerous with it and causes a lot of problems. And without it, that’s so important the way we play.

“Looking at his stats and things like that, he has had a good season. He is a dangerous player and someone who is going to do really well for us, I’m sure.”

Charlie Adam has revealed that former Liverpool manager Brendan Rogers made it clear he needed to find a new club prior to arrival at Stoke City.

The Scotland midfielder joined Liverpool from Blackpool for £6.75m when Reds legend Kenny Dalglish was in charge at the club back in 2012.

But Dalglish was gone soon after to be replaced by Rogers and Adam fell out of favour at Anfield, struggling for regular first team action.

In the end, the 31-year-old felt he had no choice but to make the move to the Potteries and he had no regrets regarding that decision five years on.

“It was difficult because Kenny was the manager who brought me in and him and Steve Clarke were great. Then you have a new manager to try to impress,” he explained.

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“But the writing was on the wall and he told me I needed to find a new club. Stoke came in and got me and I moved probably one year too early.

“I probably should have stuck and tried to change his mind but I’m the kind of person who wants to play and thought it was the right thing to do.

“It wasn’t to be, I moved on and I feel like I’ve had a good career after that.”

Watford’s new signing Will Hughes has taken the time out to thank his former club after switching to Vicarage Road from Derby County.

The midfielder has been with the Rams professionally since he was 16, but has decided now is the right time to take the plunge and embark on Premier League football for the first time.

His form with Derby has taken him to the cusp of England’s elite, currently representing his country at the European Championships, with some predicting a rise to the senior squad in time for the World Cup in 2018.

And while he believes the move south was the right one for his career, Hughes admitted it was tough to leave the club that have supported him for the past decade.

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

“These last 10 years at Derby have taught me a lot, and I’ll take with me only fond memories. It’s been a tough decision but I think the time is right for me to move on now,” said the 22-year-old.

“I’d like to thank all the staff that have helped me throughout my time here. Also to the fans, ever since I made my debut at 16 you’ve made me feel at home and the support I’ve received has been incredible.

“I wish Mel, Gary and all the boys the best of luck this season, hopefully ending with promotion.

“It’s been a pleasure to play for Derby and I’m sure I’ll see you at some point in the future. Once a Ram…”

Manchester City’s star striker Sergio Aguero is yet to begin talks with the club about a new contract, according to his agent Hernan Reguera.

Aguero scored 20 goals in 31 Premier League appearances last year but was surrounded by rumours he was unhappy under new boss Pep Guardiola.

Some expect the Argentine striker, who won the Premier League golden boot in 2014/15, to leave the Etihad during the summer.

This has been denied by Reguera who insists Aguero is not going anywhere despite interest from French giants PSG.

“Sergio will remain at Manchester City, for sure,” he said. “There have never been any offers, they have never presented him with the chance to leave City.

(Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

As I said, he is happy and will remain. We haven’t spoken about [a new contract] for the moment, and we’re fine with that.

“He has two more years left on his contract and the guy is happy, as are the club. No news for now, we’ll go on like this.

“The relationship between Aguero and the boss is great. Next season? He strives for the maximum.

“He wants to help the team win both the Premier League and Champions League.”

Harry Kane’s desire to achieve perfection has made him one of the best strikers in the world, according former player Clive Allen.

The Spurs striker has won the Premier League Golden Boot in successive seasons and has scored 99 goals in all competitions for the club.

Former striker Allen – who was Kane’s coach at Spurs when he was coming through the academy – was impressed with his attitude as he strived to break into the first team, prove himself out on loan and his desire to put the ball in the back of the net.

Allen said: “That’s what drives him – goals, goals, goals. He wants to keep improving and long may that continue. Practice makes perfect and that’s what he strives for.

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“When Harry came in as a 16-year-old he just wanted to work every day, particularly on his goalscoring and finishing and we worked at it.

“We had numerous competitions in those days and by hook or by crook I’d make sure I won, but when he started to beat me I knew he was on his way.

“His attitude, work-rate…he deserves everything he’s got and that’s one of the biggest compliments I can pay. He was focused and knew what he wanted and went about getting there with hard work.”

Allen scored 49 in all competition during the 1986-87 season, and feels Kane could match or better that tally if he remains at the club.

“It was a phenomenal season and one I’ll never forget,” Allen added. “Whether or not anyone beats it… I’ll be honest, I hope they don’t! But if anyone can, it will be Harry, for sure. He’s in the best place to score goals – anything is possible!”