As the Brighton star gets ready for the FA Cup semifinal matchup against Manchester United, Danny Welbeck has said that playing against his old team is no longer "weird."
During his stint at Old Trafford, the 32-year-old made 142 appearances for the Reds, including 29 goals and 21 assists. In September 2014, he departed the team and joined Premier League rival Arsenal.
Welbeck, who has played for Brighton and scored four goals against Manchester United in his career, has made an impact for the Seagulls thus far this season. He has contributed to eight goals for Roberto De Zerbi's team. On Sunday afternoon at Wembley, the attacker is anticipated to have the ball first against the Reds.
"I’ve played games against United multiple times now, and it’s now not as weird as it once was," said Welbeck. "It was worse when I went to Old Trafford. You go there into the away dressing room and you’re warming up on a different side of the pitch, and walking out on the other side.
"It’s just little weird things like that, because you’re so used to going to a certain place. And early on I was playing against players I’ve been with previously."
Then, according to Danny Welbeck, Brighton players who have played in big games could help the Seagulls defeat United and advance to the FA Cup final.
"We have players who have won trophies and the latest one is Alexis (Mac Allister) who has won the World Cup," he continued.
"So, to have players like that in the team it’s always massive just to pass on – it might be something small but it might be key – advice and little things like that. It goes a long way"
Last weekend, the striker scored against Chelsea after coming off the bench, giving De Zerbi's team a 2-1 victory against the London team. This was the striker's third goal in eight games.
Ahead of Sunday's FA Cup match against Manchester United, Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi was asked about the injury situation for his team, but he held his cards close to his chest.
A growing number of Albion players have been sidelined in recent weeks, including midfielders Adam Lallana and Jakub Moder, right-back Tariq Lamptey, winger Jeremy Sarmiento, goalkeeper Jason Steele, and striker Evan Ferguson.
The Italian stated last weekend that Veltman and Ferguson might be sidelined for a few weeks, and it is anticipated that Moder (ACL), Lallana (hamstring), and Sarmiento (metatarsal) will also be sidelined for some time.
However, prior to this match, the former Shakhtar Donetsk boss made no predictions on who was healthy and who wasn't, other than to mention that Steele might be available again after missing the victory over Chelsea last weekend.
De Zerbi stated on Friday afternoon: "The position on injuries is not clear. We'll find out in the morning. There are still two more days. We have time to comprehend the issue and consider our options."
When asked if Jason Steele could be fit again, he replied: "Yes, but I don't know if he is 100% or if he can play."
After facing United this weekend, Brighton are back in Premier League action as they face Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Wednesday, followed by Wolves four days later at the Amex Stadium.
Roberto De Zerbi, manager of Brighton and Hove Albion, has made a statement ahead of the crucial FA Cup semi-final matchup between the Seagulls and Manchester United on Sunday.
Brighton will be looking to take advantage of the Red Devils' recent deteriorating record that saw them crash out of the Europa League after losing 5-2 (on aggregate) to Sevilla on Thursday night in order to secure their spot in the renowned cup competition's final at Wembley.
De Zerbi, though, has repeated that he is sure Erik Ten Hag's United are a force to be reckoned with after speaking to reporters ahead of this weekend's game.
For sure Sevilla played a great, great game [against Man United],” De Zerbi told reporters on Friday.
“Sevilla, like United, is a big team in Europe. […] I think the best solution is to be focused in ourselves, what we can do and what we have to do to win the game."
"[…] Man United is one of the best teams in the UK but I think we are deserving to play this type of game in this competition.”
Kaoru Mitoma reveals Man United's inspiration
Brighton have a good chance of winning the FA Cup, but Kaoru Mitoma warns that beating "great" Manchester United won't be simple.
The Albion are just days away from facing the Red Devils in their semi-final at Wembley, and Roberto De Zerbi's team is one win away from qualifying for the championship game for the first time in forty years.
The Seagulls, who faced Manchester United in the 1983 FA Cup final and lost, defeated Chelsea 2-1 last weekend in preparation for this match, and the Lancashire club defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0 on Sunday. However, Erik ten Hag's team still has to face Sevilla in the Europa League quarterfinals tonight (Thursday).
The Sussex club is currently seventh in the Premier League, 10 points and four spots behind United. Mitoma's team is considered the underdog, but the 25-year-old, who has contributed to seven goals and 10 assists this year, thinks Brighton can win on Sunday.
"They [United] are a great opponent but yes, we have a great chance to go to the final. Winning there on Sunday will mean a lot for the club and we want to give our best to go to the final," he told Brighton's website.
"It will be another tough game They have a lot of talented players, so we have to pay attention to them, look after the ball better, and take the initiative of the match. And if we can play our football, I think we have a chance.”
After Julio Enciso's 30-yard screamer in the 2-1 triumph at Chelsea, the Japanese international has also been influenced by his colleague. The youth, who cost Club Libertad £9.5 million to recruit him last summer, has excelled lately, and Mitoma is fully aware of the advantages he can bring to the south coast side.
The Paraguayan international scored his first goal for the Seagulls against Bournemouth in early April, and the former Kawasaki Frontale star, who joined the Albion for for £2.5 million in the summer of 2021, said he ties up well with him and finds him to be "easy" to play alongside.
“It [Enciso's Chelsea winner] was a great goal. He is young and gaining momentum. I would like to get inspiration from him, ride on it and go on playing well. He is talented, has scored two goals already, and will help the team more," he added.
"He is good at dribbling, so I let him bring the ball forward and it allows me to have one-to-one situations. Or we can use a one-two pass. We have some common understandings and it’s easy to play with him."
Meanwhile, Brighton Albion's winger Kaoru Mitoma has emerged as a favorite of Unai Emery, who is reportedly prepared to compete with Arsenal to sign the Brighton star to Aston Villa this summer.
Jeunes Footeux claims that the 25-year-old is a potential alternative for Philippe Coutinho and that the Villans are interested in him.
One of the season's biggest surprises has been Kaoru Mitoma, who plays for a Brighton team that keeps getting better. He has scored 10 goals and provided seven assists for the Seagulls in all competitions.
Earlier reports said that Arsenal was keeping an eye on Mitoma. Of course, they've already signed Brighton players Leandro Trossard and Ben White.
However, it appears that if the Gunners want to recruit the Japan international, they will have to defeat competition from their former employer.
Jeunes Footeux claims that Emery is in love with Mitoma and wants to replace Coutinho with him. The Brazilian has undoubtedly struggled since his loan move turned permanent at Villa Park.
Villa supporters must be incredibly eager for the forthcoming window. They have climbed the Premier League standings rather quickly. In fact, it is not impossible for the Villans to place in the top four this year.
They are buying in a different market than what some fans may have anticipated earlier in the season because of their potential. When Emery took over, it seemed like they might be on the outskirts of a relegation fight.
One of the most intriguing players in the division right now is Mitoma. He seems to be having an impact every week, like so many of his Brighton teammates.
He is a 'great' player, according to Alan Shearer. And if Villa could suddenly outbid Arsenal for his services, that would make quite a statement.
Alexis Mac Allister on United's radar
Few Weeks ago, Manchester United Gistlovers reported that Argentine journalist Cesar Luis Merlo claims that United is vying with Liverpool and Arsenal for the services of Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder during the summer transfer window. Although he doesn't specify which clubs they are, Merlo asserts that two of them are "already negotiating" with the player.
In order for any team to pry Mac Allister away from the club during the January transfer window, the south coast side was looking at £50m, and by the conclusion of the season, this amount may have climbed.
To challenge for the Premier League crown, Ten Hag still needs to add a few players, and Mac Allister would undoubtedly strengthen the club.
The Argentinian might be a significant improvement over Scott McTominay given that the Dutchman plans to release some deadwood and underperformers over the summer.
In fact, the 24-year-old has outperformed the Scot in every area of the field this season, scoring eight goals to none, taking 2.35 more shots per game, winning 30 more tackles than the Scot, and having a higher pass success rate (86.7% to 81.9%).
Mac Allister ranks in the top 5% of all midfielders in Europe's top five leagues for goals, total shots, and penalty kicks made, making him one of the best goal-scoring midfielders on the continent if he were to join United. Ten Hag would love to add an alternate midfielder who can pose a critical goal threat.
The Dutchman benefits much from the Dutchman's high-level experience. In the 2022 World Cup final, which Argentina won, reporter Roy Nemer praised the midfielder, calling him "unplayable," and he was outstanding throughout the entire tournament.
He displayed his attacking skills on the biggest stage of all, scoring once, setting up two significant scoring opportunities, making 1.3 important passes per game, taking 1.2 shots, and averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.05/10 over the course of six games.
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