Man Utd made a mistake, Neville criticizes Red Devils for letting one player go
Gary Neville, former right-back of the "Red Devils" Manchester United and now a football analyst, expressed his view that Manchester United's decision to release English striker Danny Welbeck from Old Trafford in 2014 was a mistake.
Welbeck moved from the Red Devils to Arsenal before transferring to Watford and Brighton, where he spent six years scoring 51 goals, and most recently joined another major club, Chelsea, the "Blue Lions."
Neville feels that United's decision to sell him was wrong, and Welbeck has proven this over the past few years.
"I said 12 years ago that Manchester United should not have sold Danny Welbeck. After leaving, he performed excellently. He is now regaining a role late in his career, but he has always been a fantastic player."
"I worked with him as a teammate and in the England national team (Neville was England's assistant coach), and he performed superbly for England as well as in the Premier League. This is a good signing for Chelsea," Neville said.
Additionally, Neville sees that the experience of both Welbeck and Jordan Henderson will greatly benefit Chelsea.
"If you have watched Chelsea over the past three, four, or five years, I've always said the club lacked experience—from ownership to the sporting side and the manager. So what you saw was a lack of experience."
"I think placing experienced senior players at the core to maintain good behavior, responsibility, and discipline in the dressing room isn't a miracle, but something all top teams have had for decades."
"So bringing in Jordan Henderson, who knows how to win the Premier League, and Danny Welbeck, who also knows how to win the Premier League, is excellent. Their roles are important both on and off the field."
"They are still good players who can play about 25 to 35 games per season at a good level."
"I think Chelsea's young players lacked proper guidance and leadership both on and off the pitch, but now they have people around them who can provide that and know how to handle challenges," Neville concluded.