Welbeck Hopes to One Day Emulate World Class Van Persie

Robin van Persie may be keeping Danny Welbeck out of the Manchester United side but that has not stopped the young striker from revealing how much he admires the Dutch forward.

The 21-year-old was a regular alongside Wayne Rooney last season but has struggled to force his way into first team plans of Sir Alex Ferguson since Van Persie arrived from Arsenal in the summer.

The Holland international has scored 10 goals in his 15 Premier League appearances, while Welbeck has been forced to spend much of the time on the substitutes bench and has started just six league games.

However, there is no sense of frustration from Welbeck who is merely enjoying training alongside Van Persie and hoping to one day emulate the 'world class' striker.

"Striker is my favourite position but once I get on the pitch, whether it's out on the wing or in the middle, I just want to enjoy my football and try and produce as good a performance as possible," said Welbeck, as reported in the Daily Post.

"Robin is a different type of striker to the ones we have previously had. It's great motivation to see somebody with so much class come into the side and score goals.

"But it's not just his goals that have been pleasing - it's the way he's played all-round and the assists he's got.

"He's a world-class striker and to watch him week in, week out is something that is of great benefit to me. He is definitely someone I can look up to."

United have certainly benefited from the goals of Van Persie as they currently sit top of the Premier League, while in Europe they managed to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition with two games to spare.

In fact it is not just Welbeck who has lauded the performances of the striker; Ferguson has also been pleased with the contribution of the £24million summer signing.

"Robin is not only contributing to the team but he's improving other players around him," said Ferguson. "He brings a different perspective to our game.

"Our attacking possibilities are terrific. That's our strength and it's rescued us all season."