Daniel Nii Tackie Mensah Welbeck, known simply as “Welbz” between fans and teammates has made his way through the ranks at United, as a local South Manchester boy.

Scouted from local team Fletcher Moss Rangers, Danny was always destined to become a great. Although he was turned down as a boy by Manchester City, he didn’t let it stop him, and he continued to fight for what he wanted, and became a United player.

As a player of Fletcher Moss myself, I recall the excitement for Danny Welbeck, everyone believed he was going to make it, he was something special. A memory I always remember was when Danny was called up to the England U16’s squad, along with Cameron Stewart and Kyle Bartlett. The memory I have is of complete pride, and elation among staff at the club, they weren’t envious of how well Danny was doing, even back then people thought he was going to make it…and be something big.

Neil Brown, head coach at Fletcher Moss Rangers at the time Danny was playing for them said: “From the minute Danny started with us, you could see he had natural talent, everything was easy for him; his touch, control and vision were all excellent. To coach he was a dream he did what you asked of him”

He continued: “You could always tell he [Welbeck] would make it, but how big you didn’t know. You just hoped for the best and he has excelled. When he played under 9’s it was 5-a-side and we had two teams, one of the strikers was Danny. Teams would dread playing against him, we could be three up, take Danny off to rest him then it was 3-2 so we’d put Danny back on and it was 5-2, game over.”

Bear in mind that at this point Danny Welbeck was an eight-year-old boy, and was spotted by United at this age because he was excelling so dramatically at Fletcher Moss. There is nothing more exciting for a youth team manager, than to have a player that is excelling to the excess Danny clearly was. Neil Brown, and the club clearly thought there was something special in Danny, something rare, and natural that wasn’t necessarily seen in his teammates’ game.

The club couldn’t have been more right; queue 2008, when Danny got his big break, he started appearing in United’s first team squad, and was sent out on loan to better his Football League experience, this only benefitted him in the long run.

Being from South Manchester (yes, contrary to popular belief, there are United fans from Manchester) I have a lot of friends who played against and alongside Danny, and speak very fondly of him as a person, and are still in touch with him. He hasn’t lost his Mancunian roots.

Born a Red, United was always the dream for Danny, and he has spoken of how he felt when he first scored in front of the Stretford End. As a Red, there’s no better feeling than scoring at Old Trafford, and seeing fans sat in the seat you were once in, cheering for you.

Danny is living proof that United’s Youth Academy is one of the best in the country, if not the world; it has grown him, made him stronger and prepared him to play in every tournament possible. Although his positioning as a striker is clearly natural instinct, playing and being coached by players such as Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes has given him a priceless gift.

After a great season with United, Danny was given a huge opportunity this summer to step up for England internationally at the European Championships, and while out there he definitely proved his worth. Welbeck looked as though he’d been playing in that England squad for years, he fit in perfectly, and read the players around him immediately, and adapted his game to suit Gerrard’s long balls and Roy Hodgson’s tactics.

When Welbeck scored that winning goal against Sweden, to say my Twitter timeline exploded is an understatement. Hundreds of Reds were praising his skill, but what stood out for me were the opinions of people who have played against Danny, and people that have known Danny for years with him being a local boy, that were getting the most excited. It’s almost unbelievable for fans from South Manchester to see a player doing so well, have so much skill, and be so accepted and praised in the media. The European Championships, for me, showed that Danny has in fact made it…and is about to become something very special for United.

Although England succumbed to the ‘Quarter Final Curse’ once again, I’m sure Danny will be coming home with his head held high, full of confidence for the season ahead with United. This can only be a good thing for us, as Danny has now tasted what it feels like at the top, and how it feels to be the golden boy. I don’t think he’s ready to change that any time soon…

Welbeck is still only 21-years-old, and his talent is very exciting. The fact that he is Mancunian, born and raised makes his success even better. He was raised to live and breathe United…so once a Red, always a Red…eh Danny?

Like this article? Follow Mel on Twitter

Going to Old Trafford isn’t like going to any other stadium in the world. You can feel the history almost oozing out of the walls, and as you walk down Matt Busby Way, eventually getting to the statue of the man himself, you know you’re somewhere special, especially when looking to the right, to see another statue standing, of an additional three United greats – George Best, Dennis Law and Sir Bobby Charlton.

I’ve travelled across the nation with United, from Glasgow’s Ibrox, down to London’s White Hart Lane, but none of them feel like Old Trafford. I take my seat in the North Stand, and I know – this is home.

The excitement is felt throughout the game, the sound of the plastic chairs folding in as fans stand up in anticipation of our attacking force is almost like a heartbeat, the passion the players have for United, and the pride they have is seen in every game. Our players are here for the shirt, the history, the club, and the legendary manager – Sir Alex Ferguson.

The transfer window often opens up a lot of speculation, and also, a lot of expectation, but as United fans, we know, that a player that signs for United, is signing to play for United, to be part of United, to be one of the greatest – to be a Red Devil.

There is a lot of talk of players signing for other teams for money, rather than to be part of that team, but it is widely known that a player who signs for us, is a player who has dreamt of pulling on that red shirt for years, and one that is going to give 100% in every minute he plays under Sir Alex.

In 2001, United signed a player, who was ready to become a legend, and came to Old Trafford for the shirt, making 150 appearances and scoring 95 goals in 5 great years for the club. The player was Ruud van Nistlerooy. In December 2003, while at the club, van Nistlerooy said:

“I will never, ever play for another English club. Once you have played for United, the rest don’t count anymore. To be a legend, to be part of history, you must know about the past and to achieve success you must love the club.”

Whilst at United, van Nistlerooy won a Premier League title, an FA Cup and a League Cup, as well as personal awards, including UEFA Champions League’s Most Valuable Striker 2001-2002, Barclaycard Player of the Year: 2002, Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year: 2001–02, 2002–03, PFA Player of the Year: 2001–02, and UEFA Champions League’s Topscorer: 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05 among others.

Ruud’s triumphs both personally, and with the club, reflect how important of a club we are to players. When you play for us, you’re known around the world. Just recently United have been named the most popular club across the world, with an estimated 659 million followers globally (although these figures are estimates from around 54,000 respondents) it shows just what kind of platform these players are playing on, and why they strive to play for us.

Another United legend that has spoken of his drive to play for Manchester United is Brian Greenhoff, who gave nine years to the club as a senior player, between 1970-1979. While at United, Greenhoff made 221 appearances, and was awarded with a Second Division title, and an FA Cup winners’ medal.

Greenhoff, who is currently writing a book about his time with Manchester United, said to me:

“If money would have been my goal, I would have signed for Rotherham or Barnsley, who offered me more. United offered me £7 per week, Rotherham and Barnsley offered me £11 per week. I took £7”

He added:

“Many years ago, I left United for what I thought was the right reasons, now I know I left for the wrong ones. You only get once chance at United, and you have to take it, believe me, it’s the best club by a country mile. I can’t believe any player could turn down the world’s greatest football club.”

Greenhoff added to our chat, by explaining to me exactly how it felt when he signed for United, and how it felt to be part of the club;

“Signing for United gave me the best chance to reach my goals, the day I signed, and the day I made my first team debut were the two best days of my life”

He continued by talking about our fanbase,

“The fans never forget you, that’s what makes the club special. Whenever I go back I always get a good welcome, from the gateman to the staff”

Players past and present speak very highly of our club, and the majority also speak very highly of the way they were treated while here.

If signing and playing for United is how Brian Greenhoff describes it to me, then why wouldn’t United sign all of the players we set out to? Don’t get me wrong, I’m aware there are other clubs out there, certainly clubs in the English Premier League that players thrive to play for, such as Arsenal, Chelsea, and now Manchester City (they are champions after all, as much as it pains us to admit it). But it has to be said – United have been at the top of the game for all of the years I’ve supported them, so at least the last 21 years, but being born into a United family told me that they had been one of the best clubs in the world for a long while before that too.

This summer, United are set to be very active in the transfer window, with Fergie and other staff admitting so. Shinji Kagawa – a Japanese starlet who shone during his last season at Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga is the first to be welcomed to The Theatre of Dreams, and if he lives up to expectation, he could be about to take the Premier League by storm.

An exciting season is ahead for United, and if we’re as active in the transfer market as we’ve been told, we’ll be back bigger and better, and we’ll be back to win our trophy – Mancini, watch out!