Arsene Wenger backs Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck to have a 'dream career'

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger remains hopeful that Danny Welbeck can still have a "dream career" by putting the two long-term injuries behind him. The forward returned to the pitch after seven months on the sidelines with a knee ligament injury.

The England international made a switch to the Emirates from their league rivals Manchester United in the summer of 2014. In his debut season at the north London club, he suffered an injury in March 2015, which kept him until February 2016.

Welbeck suffered a second long-term injury setback last May, which forced him to go under the knife. He missed the Euro 2016 with England and was set to be out of action for nine months.

However, the former United star returned faster than expected and came from the bench in Arsenal's 2-1 comeback win over Preston North End in the FA Cup. Welbeck replaced Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 83<sup>rd minute and came close to getting his name on the score sheet, only to be denied by goalkeeper Chris Maxwell.

"The patience you need when you have an injury at that age... it's terrible [to go through]," Wenger told Arsenal's official website.

"To miss the European Championship and on top of he missed the start of the season, but he worked hard and certainly victory [in his comeback match] will make him stronger. But you have to go through it and that was a very difficult moment for him. I think he suffered a lot, but I hope, touch wood, he will now have a dream career.

"When the players are injured they are a little bit out of my sight because I sent him away as well. When a player has a long-term injury, sometimes it's better you get him out and away, that he lives without the players and people who are injured as well.

"Because when he comes in he sees everybody go out there and you have to stay inside... the football club is built for people who are competitive. So sometimes mentally it's difficult, so we let him go outside and miss this time.

"Of course we spoke with him a lot, but at the end of the day, when something like that happens to you, you deal with it on your own. But we try to support him, of course."