Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck has been motivated by the competition for first team action with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette but believes he can also fill the void left in the lineup by Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s injury.
Welbeck enjoyed a productive outing in Arsenal’s 3-2 Premier League win over Southampton on Sunday, scoring two goals and earning praise from manager Arsene Wenger for showing signs of his best form following three injury-hit seasons.
The 27-year-old England international had been expected to compete with recent signings Lacazette and Aubameyang for game-time but the striker suggested he can play alongside the pair. “As you’ve seen, I can play with Pierre and with Laca,” Welbeck told British media.
“It is nice. It gives you that added motivation. The competition is there so you are going to improve and better yourself. I’ve had that throughout my whole career. Being at an academy where players come from all over the world and it is the same here, you are always going to have that competition. It is healthy.”
Welbeck is expected to play a key role in the final stretch of the season after Mkhitaryan suffered a knee-ligament injury in the 4-1 win over CSKA Moscow in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final last week.
“We all wish him a speedy recovery. Hopefully, he is available as soon as possible, but it is the manager’s decision who he wants in the team,” Welbeck added. “Obviously, with the goals... I’ve staked my claim.
Going into the game on Thursday, we want to get the win and get into the next round.” Arsenal visit Moscow for the return leg tomorrow.
FIFA committee begins tour of North America 2026 bid
A FIFA evaluation committee launched a five-day inspection tour of the United States, Canada and Mexico on Monday as the bidding battle for the 2026 World Cup enters the home straight. With just over two months to go before the vote that will decide the hosts for the finals in eight years time, the FIFA delegation kicked off its North American visit in Mexico City.
The delegation will inspect an array of proposed facilities for the 2026 World Cup, including stadiums, training facilities and potential team base camps. FIFA officials will visit Atlanta, Toronto, New York and New Jersey during the trip, which wraps up on Friday.
The North American joint bid is widely seen as the front-runner for the 2026 race, with Morocco the only other candidate for the expanded 48-team tournament.
The US-Mexico-Canada bid has made an array of already-existing, modern stadiums the centre-piece of its bid, a key consideration for FIFA chiefs anxious to avoid expensive ‘white elephant’ venues that have plagued previous World Cup hosts.
North American bid officials have said 60 of the tournament’s matches will be staged in the United States, with Canada and Mexico hosting 10 games each. The United States will host all knockout games from the quarter-finals onwards.
Although the North American bid is the favourite, Morocco’s has attracted support in Europe. French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet said he expected to register his vote in favour of Morocco when delegates cast their ballots in Moscow on June 13.
Keita set to face Marseille despite knock
Liverpool-bound Naby Keita is expected to face Marseille in tomorrow’s Europa League quarter-final, second-leg, despite limping off against in the Bundesliga. “Thankfully, it’s just a hip bruise, so hopefully there is no threat for Thursday,” said Leipzig’s relieved coach Ralph Hasenhuettl.
Keita, who will join Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool next season, came off late in Leipzig’s 4-1 loss to Leverkusen on Monday. Keita, a defensive midfielder, collided with Leverkusen’s goalkeeper Bernd Leno in the 74th minute at the Red Bull Arena and went off soon after.
Leipzig will fly to Marseille for a place in the semi-finals holding a slender 1-0 lead after Germany striker Timo Werner scored the only goal in last week’s first leg. Liverpool are expected to pay 70mn euros ($86.5mn), including bonuses, for the Guinea midfielder, who has consistently been Leipzig’s midfield engine. He has scored five goals and provided five assists in 23 league appearances this season.
Munir appeals to CAS in bid to switch from Spain to Morocco
Deportivo Alaves forward Munir El Haddadi has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in his bid to switch allegiance from Spain to Morocco. CAS said in a statement that Munir had appealed jointly with the Moroccan Football Federation (FMF) after FIFA turned down his request on March 13.
The appeal included a request for a decision by mid-May “in order for the player’s sporting nationality to be decided prior to the commencement of the FIFA 2018 World Cup,” said CAS. FIFA rules bar players from switching allegiance once they have played a competitive international even if they hold dual nationality.
Munir, 22, made a single appearance for Spain, in a European championship qualifier against Macedonia in September 2014, when he came on as a substitute and played less than 15 minutes. “This was my decision and I knew what I was doing. Since I was young I have played in Spain and this was my idea,” said Munir at the time. “I spoke with people in Morocco and told them that I wanted to play here instead.”
Munir, who was born in Spain and has a Moroccan father, was raised at Barcelona’s famous youth academy where he made his professional debut and is currently on loan at Alaves. He has also spent one season on loan at Valencia.
FIFA’s stakeholders committee is studying a proposal to make the rules more flexible in such cases. Spain and Morocco have been drawn in the same group at the World Cup alongside Portugal and Iran.
Danny Welbeck
