London: Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck has been motivated by the competition for first team action with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette but believes he can also fill the void left in the line-up by Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s injury.
Welbeck enjoyed a productive outing in Arsenal’s 3-2 Premier League win over Southampton on Sunday, scoring two goals and earning praise from manager Arsene Wenger for showing signs of his best form following three injury-hit seasons.
The 27-year-old England international had been expected to compete with recent signings Lacazette and Aubameyang for game-time but the striker suggested he can play alongside the pair.
“As you’ve seen, I can play with Pierre and with Laca,” Welbeck told British media. “It is nice. It gives you that added motivation. The competition is there so you are going to improve and better yourself.
“I’ve had that throughout my whole career. Being at an academy where players come from all over the world and it is the same here, you are always going to have that competition. It is healthy.” Welbeck is expected to play a key role in the final stretch of the season after Mkhitaryan suffered a knee-ligament injury in the 4-1 win over CSKA Moscow in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final last week.
“We all wish him a speedy recovery. Hopefully, he is available as soon as possible, but it is the manager’s decision who he wants in the team,” Welbeck added.
“Obviously, with the goals ... I’ve staked my claim. Going into the game on Thursday, we want to get the win and get into the next round.” Arsenal visit Moscow for the return leg on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Stoke City striker Tyrese Campbell is hoping to play a role in the club’s bid for Premier League survival after being promoted to the first team on the back of a series of impressive performances with the Under-23 squad.
The 18-year-old made his home debut from the bench in Stoke’s 2-1 league defeat by Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
“I just want to help the team stay up, do the best I can and hopefully score some goals to do that,” Campbell told the Stoke Sentinel. “Obviously you watch it on TV and you think ‘Oh yeah, I can do that, I can run him, I can take him on.’ “But its completely different when you get there. You’re playing against men and under-23s is boys similar to your age. It’s a good learning curve, one I’m relishing and hoping to get more of.” Stoke sit 19th in the standings, four points adrift of safety with five games remaining.
Campbell believes the squad boasts the qualities of a “mid-table team” and the players are confident they can avoid the drop.
“We need at least three wins to stay safe and we will be working hard to stay up because no one wants to get relegated,” he added.
“Everyone is confident we can stay up. Look at the quality we have, so yes, everyone is confident. We don’t look like a team battling relegation, but a comfortable mid-table team.”
Stoke visit 14th-placed West Ham United on Monday.
