Manager younger than veteran: PL oldie now the perfect striker | OneFootball

What were you doing on November 15, 2008? You probably didn't experience a "rainy night in Stoke." Danny Welbeck did – and he hasn't forgotten it to this day.

At 17, the forward was substituted into a Premier League match by Sir Alex Ferguson for the first time. Naturally, the then United gem also managed to curl a ball from 25 meters directly into the top corner during the 5-0 victory alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

"It was like a dream," Welbeck later raved to 'The Athletic'. That's probably how his current football life feels as well.

Now at 34, the Englishman is in his second prime.

📸 Alex Livesey - 2008 Getty Images

No, the boy isn't binge-watching countless movies and series on a well-known streaming service - he's playing damn good football right now.

After scoring in double digits for the first time in his Premier League career last season, the striker currently has six goals after ten matchdays. Only Erling Haaland has scored more in the league so far.

Particularly remarkable: his winning goal against Newcastle United on matchday 8. Welbeck wasn't even supposed to score that goal in the 84th minute.

"I actually wanted to substitute him," explains his coach Fabian Hürzeler, who is two years younger. But the former Bundesliga coach let Welbeck continue playing – and was rewarded with three points. "Sometimes in life, timing is everything," Hürzeler added. The right timing for a World Cup appearance in 2026?

Thomas Tuchel has also noticed Welbeck's current form. After a seven-year absence from the Three Lions, many English media outlets reported on a possible national team return for the forward. Understandably: As a backup behind Harry Kane, Tuchel would have another striker who leads with his leadership qualities and is absolutely complete.

So complete that Welbeck has already scored with both feet this season, headed in, and even converted a direct free kick against Manchester United.

At this point, however, we unfortunately have to briefly hit the brakes on the euphoria.

Since Friday noon at 11 o'clock, it has been clear: Welbeck has not yet made it back into the England squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Serbia (11/13) and Albania (11/16). But to even get back into the national team orbit seemed more unrealistic years ago than a league title for ManUnited does now.

In the midst of his first prime with the Red Devils – and from the summer of 2014 with Arsenal – an endless wave of injuries seemed to break for the Champions League winner and two-time English champion. Overall, Welbeck has missed 247 games in his career. In days, that's 1,287 (Source: 'Transfermarkt.de'). Crazy, right?

The forward, however, tried to see things positively: "It's damn difficult to go through such moments, but they have made me a better person and above all a better player. I think you can always draw something positive from the worst things," Welbeck also emphasized to 'The Athletic'.

Sounds credible when we look at his current form. Hopefully, Danny Welbeck will also draw only positives from November 26. That's when he turns 35 – seemingly the perfect age to make the Premier League unsafe in his second prime.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 Harry Murphy - 2025 Getty Images