Gunners striker confesses he was prepared to leave last summer.
Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck has admitted that he had been thinking about making an escape from Manchester United a year before he made the £16m switch to the Gunners this summer, the Daily Star reports.
SEE ALSO:
Manchester United v Chelsea: Live streaming guide and Premier League preview.
Real Madrid v Barcelona live streaming guide and El Clasicon preview.
Mario Balotelli shirt swap reaction.
Welbeck became frustrated at the lack of first team opportunities in his favoured position through the middle at Old Trafford, forcing him out to play in a wide left role more often.
He has been deployed more centrally by new boss Arsene Wenger, and that has resulted in him netting five times for the Gunners, including a blistering hat-trick in the 4-1 win over Galatasaray in the Champions League.
And Welbeck has now confirmed that he had been eyeing a move away from his boyhood club for a full 12 months before he actually got a break.
“When you’ve been somewhere for so long and then you’re going to start a new chapter in your career, you’ve got to think about it a lot,” he said.
“Over the past year or so, I started to think about what’s best for me because at the time I was playing on the left wing a lot and in a 4-4-2, which is very difficult for me because I can’t make an impact on the game.
SEE ALSO: Stunning Gallery! 50 Really Hot Women In Football Shirts: Sexy Babes In Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea & Man United Kit.