Danny Welbeck proving he can solve Thomas Tuchel’s England striker conundrum

Brighton striker Danny Welbeck is enjoying a rich vein of form and should be on the radar of England boss Thomas Tuchel ahead of next summer's World Cup across North America

11:27, 20 Oct 2025

Football loving writer who spends much of his life on motorways getting to games all over the country. Passionate about football, my job and the Mirror. The Premier League is the best in the world and always believe England has a chance.

Author of Arsene Wenger: The Inside Story of Arsenal Under Wenger.

View 2 ImagesDanny Welbeck celebrates after scoring twice for Brighton against Newcastle(Image: Getty Images)

Danny Welbeck is in some pretty strong company in the Premier League's top scorer list. Erling Haaland [1] is the runaway leader with 11 goals, Antoine Semenyo has six, Jean-Phillipe Mateta is on five while Jaidon Anthony, Nick Woltemade, Igor Tudor and Welbeck are all on four.

It is proof that, even at 34, Welbeck is still scoring goals, is still delivering at the top level and should be worthy of another chance for England.[2] Welbeck has 42 caps, scored 16 goals for England and went to the 2018 World Cup when Gareth Southgate's men reached the semi finals.

The Brighton striker has not played for England in seven years but that did not stop Tuchel giving Ruben Loftus-Cheek another chance after a similarly long absence.

But the real key here is Welbeck's personality and also his remarkable ability to come on and change games from the bench. Not only would Welbeck provide a back-up option to Harry Kane [3] in the way that Ollie Watkins is more of a runner, but he could also be a supersub.

Welbeck scored both Brighton's goals in their 2-1 win over Newcastle on Saturday and he remains a key starter for Fabian Hurzeler's side. And that shows that he can still start games and be very effective.

And, remarkably, Welbeck is fourth in the Premier League all time list of goals as a substitute.

He has 18 with only Javier Hernandez (19), Olivier Giroud (21) and Jermain Defoe (24) ahead of him.

Welbeck provides an aerial threat and great movement and an ability to get in behind when teams are chasing games. He is also relentless when it comes to pressing.

Yes, time is running out to get into Tuchel's squad. And the England manager has also said he wants to stick with the squad which has done so well for him in the last two camps.

But when Watkins pulled out injured from the second game in Latvia, there was no obvious back-up other than Marcus Rashford or Anthony Gordon playing through the middle.

View 2 ImagesTuchel should be considering Welbeck as an option for the World Cup(Image: The FA via Getty Images)

Furthermore, Tuchel has hinted he may look at a couple of different things for the last two qualifiers with Serbia and Albania next month.

Welbeck actually caused a bit of a stir when he was called up for the 2018 World Cup.

There is always someone more fashionable or obvious, you see. That's where football's blind loyalties come in.

Welbeck did not get many minutes - he got 11 minutes as a substitute against Belgium - but he was an incredibly popular member of the squad. He is also a key part of Brighton's leadership group.

This is not about being a cheerleader.

If you want to be part of a squad, then you have to be a team player and, being back-up to Kane, means you know you will only get limited chances.

You have to be the right person to fit into the camp as well as being a top player in your own right. That is exactly what you need at a tournament and Welbeck fits the bill.

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References

^ Erling Haaland (www.mirror.co.uk)
^ England. (www.mirror.co.uk)
^ Harry Kane (www.mirror.co.uk)
^ Marcus Rashford told not to rewrite history - Manchester United exit is HIS fault (www.mirror.co.uk)
^ Declan Rice refuses to back down as Arsenal star issues bold 'win it' statement (www.mirror.co.uk)
^ Join our new WhatsApp community (chat.whatsapp.com)
^ Privacy Notice. (www.reachplc.com)
^ Learn more (www.mirror.co.uk)
^ Get the deal here (www.awin1.com)
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