Welbeck wants more goals
by Jamie Bradbury at Kellers Park
Sunday, 19 June, 2011
Danny Welbeck has his sights set on a semi-final place.
Click to watch the FATV interview with Danny Welbeck and Scott Sinclair
Danny Welbeck is determined to help England reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Under-21s Championship with a victory over Czech Republic on Sunday night.
Only victory will do against the Czechs and after two draws in their first two games, the Manchester United striker is looking at the game as a quarter-final match.
Welbeck is also looking to exorcise the demons from two years ago, when he was part of the England side who lost to hosts Ukraine in the Final of the U19s Championship.
“I’ve not come here to just go out in the group stages,” Welbeck told FATV. “It’s like a quarter-final game and we’ve now got to keep winning. Hopefully we’ll win on Sunday and get through to the semi-finals and we’ll see where we go from there.
“In Ukraine two years ago we got to the Final and lost 2-0. That was obviously a low point in my career, but it was a great experience to be involved in.
“Every experience like that counts, it is always going to help you and we want to take that into the up a coming games.
“You can’t learn enough from playing international football. Getting on the pitch and learning from different styles and cultures of how teams set up and trying to counteract that can only help you going forward.”
The 20-year-old, who is also eligible for the next Under-21s campaign, added: “Our main aim was to get to the Final and win it and we’re only three games away from doing that. To come to a major championship and win would be great. It’s everyone’s goal.”
Welbeck scored a crucial late equaliser for Stuart Pearce’s side in their opening game in the Finals against Spain last weekend, but was disappointed not to get on the score-sheet on Wednesday’s encounter with Ukraine.
Having spent last season on loan from Old Trafford to Premier League rivals Sunderland, scoring six goals in 29 games, Welbeck missed the last month of the campaign through injury. His return to action came for England this month, but his hard-working displays in the Championship could suggest he’s in peak condition.
“It’s only been my second or third game back from injury as I missed the end of the season,” said Welbeck. “But it’s gone really well and I’ve tried to get my fitness up. I’m looking forward to getting more points and more goals.
“I just try my best for the team, I like to try and win the ball back for other players and break from there. I think I’ve won the ball back quite a few times and I think the team has seen that.
“They’ve been tough games. When you come to this tournament you’ll be coming up against the top seven teams in Europe. Everyone’s worked hard to get here, so there is going to be a lot of competition. The standard of the two teams we’ve played so far has been really good and you expect nothing less.
He added: “It’s always good to get a goal under your belt and that came in the first game. In the second game I had a chance late on, but there was a clever nudge from the defender and it caught me off guard. I should have bagged that, but I’m looking forward to getting more opportunities.”
Click to watch the FATV interview with Danny Welbeck and Scott Sinclair