Rio Ferdinand still miffed at Man Utd selling ‘wonderful’ attacker 10 years after his exit

Rio Ferdinand admits he still ‘cannot believe Manchester United opted to sell a former academy youngster a full decade on from his departure.

Danny Welbeck, now 33, continues to impress in the Premier League and came back to haunt his old side again as Brighton secured a late 2-1 victory over the Red Devils on Saturday.

Welbeck joined United’s academy at the age of eight and went on to make more than 100 appearances for his boyhood club, winning the Premier League under legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

The former England international was surprisingly sold to Premier League rivals Arsenal in 2014, after Ferguson had retired, and has spent the last five seasons on the south coast.

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Welbeck has been a regular starter for Brighton, despite the emergence of Evan Ferguson, and notched his 100th career goal as he opened the scoring in the victory over United.

And speaking about Welbeck prior to the match on the south coast, Ferdinand told TNT Sports that United should never have sold the striker when he still had so much to offer.

“Nothing surprises me with Danny Welbeck,” the Red Devils legend said.

“I watched him as a young kid at Manchester United and he was a wonderful player.

“I couldn’t believe it when United agreed to let him go because I thought he had so much value, not only as a player but just around the place as well as a former academy player.

“I think he’s someone who players who have played against him respect more than some fans who don’t quite realise how difficult he is to play against. He’s a great professional too.”

Fantastic Welbeck still a class act

Former Chelsea and England midfielder echoed Ferdinand’s comments, saying: “We saw players like Welbeck and Jonny Evans leave Manchester United and they’ve gone on to have good Premier League careers.

“They would have been invaluable to have around at United I think. That’s one of the reasons they’ve been in the shadows for such a long time.

“Danny Welbeck is a fantastic, fantastic player.”

United are back in action on September 1 when they take on bitter rivals Liverpool in the Premier League at Old Trafford.

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