Arsene Wenger will not overload Danny Welbeck despite his return to form and fitness. The Arsenal striker made his first start of the campaign when he scored twice in the FA Cup in a 5-0 victory at Southampton on Saturday following a cartilage injury.

But manager Wenger knows he needs to manage Welbeck’s workload to prevent any further injury problems.

“Danny’s very sharp but we’re still not out of it completely,” he said. “We still have to be cautious with him.

“Where I agree is that physically he is ready to play. We still have to manage the times we use him and the times we rest him for a while.

Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Harry Lewis - 5 out of 10 Spent most of the night picking the ball out of the net. A tricky night for the young keeper. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Cuco Martina - 6 out of 10 Looked lively going forward in particular playing one delicious ball forward for Long. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Florian Gardos - 6 out of 10 Played after a long time out but was given a difficult game. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Jack Stephens - 5 out of 10 Outclassed by Arsenal’s attack. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Sam McQueen - 5 out of 10 Not the best showing for the Saints defender. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 6 out of 10 Came close with a couple of chances but struggled to exert much influence on the game. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Harrison Reed - 5 out of 10 You’d be forgiven for not noticing he was on the pitch. Outshone by his opposite numbers in the Arsenal midfield. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Jordy Clasie - 5 out of 10 A bit disappointing ultimately and failed to impact the game much at all. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Josh Sims - 7 out of 10 The brightest spark for Southampton, lacked that final clinical touch but showed exciting glimpses. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Shane Long - 6 out of 10 Showed flashes whenever he was on the ball but never really got the service he needed. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Lloyd Isgrove - 5 out of 10 Struggled to really get on the ball and was subbed in the second half. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings David Ospina - 6 out of 10 The odd slightly eccentric moment aside had a fairly quiet evening. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Hector Bellerin - 6 out of 10 Looked lively at times going forward and had very little to do in defence. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Shkodran Mustafi - 7 out of 10 Came close to scoring and was relatively untroubled at the back. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Rob Holding - 7 out of 10 Not an overly testing game at the back and as a result looked fairly assured. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Kieran Gibbs - 6 out of 10 The odd glimpse of his talents going forward and like his defensive colleagues had little to do at the back. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - 8 out of 10 Arguably the man of the match, playing some delightful balls forward including the assist for Welbeck’s second and generally being a danger all over the park. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Ainsley Maitland-Niles - 6 out of 10 Solid enough but wasn’t exactly a tricky evening’s football, will face sterner tests. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Jeff Reine-Adelaide - 7 out of 10 A quietly efficient performance, looked good in the Arsenal midfield before being subbed midway though second half. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Theo Walcott - 8 out of 10 Will go home with the match ball after picking up a hat trick finishing three times from close range. An easy and satisfying afternoon for him. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Lucas Perez - 7 out of 10 Often anonymous, but occasionally popped up to provide crucial touches like the assist for Arsenal’s first goal, encouraging if slightly hit and miss. Southampton 0 Arsenal 5 player ratings Danny Welbeck - 8 out of 10 Enjoyed a great return to the side, scoring twice and setting up another. Arsenal fans must be praying he stays fit.

“We will do that in the next month and then after, hopefully he will be completely fit.

“To come out of what he has come through, you need to be mentally strong. To play like he played on Saturday, you need to work hard physically.

“That’s not a gift of God. You have to go through all kind of suffering to come back to that level of fitness.

“Of course he has done enough to keep his place but at the moment we have to be cautious with him. I’m not sure how we’ll use him every three days. I think he’s a bit short for that. But the quality of the performance was there.”

Arsenal have numerous options in attack with Theo Walcott, Lucas Perez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mesut Ozil, Alex Iwobi and Alexis Sanchez all competing for attacking spots.

“We have scored many goals since the start of the season and Danny was not there,” said Wenger. “To add him to the squad as well gives us huge offensive potential.

Welbeck shone in Arsenal's win over Southampton

“Now I have to use the strikers well, in the right moment and without destroying the balance of the team. Offensively, we have many players who can produce and score.”

Meanwhile Wenger has not completely closed the door on Carl Jenkinson leaving the club in the next couple of days but the change of a switch to Crystal Palace are diminishing fast.

“There’s no news about him at all,” said the Frenchman.

“We are still open because we have many players in his position, but at the moment it doesn’t look like something will happen.

“We respect any professional decision. Carl Jenkinson is a great player who has a great attitude. There is no problem on that front. After that, he must find happiness with his conditions and where he goes and feel comfortable.