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It’s great when you meet someone for the first time and realise you’ve got something fundamental to your very being in common.

If that something is football or music then even better. There’s an instant affinity that comes from sharing a mutual obsession that cuts through all the awkwardness and allows you to connect with another human being in a very pure and beautiful way.

It's that universal language thing people go on about.

Of course things can go rapidly downhill from there. During the conversation it can very quickly become apparent that although you share a common ground, your new friend is standing on it all wrong.

That’s why everyone’s got certain questions they ask to suss out whether they’d happily share a train-ride home in someone’s company, or they’d rather delay their whole journey simply to avoid breathing the same air.

For instance if I discover that someone shares my love of Michael Jackson’s unrivalled back catalogue of soul-infused pop perfection, I can ask them what their favourite album is.

If they name any of the peerless Quincy Jones produced LPs between Off the Wall and Bad that makes perfect sense to me. Dangerous less so, although it’s certainly not without merit. If however they cite the future section of HIStroy or the R Kelly b-sides that make up Invisible, I don’t understand that person at all.

It’s the same when I encounter a fellow Manchester United fan.

A sure-fire way of knowing whether we’re going to get along or not is by mentioning the name of Danny Welbeck.

If the reaction is a dismissive exhale of breath and exaggerated roll of the eyes, they may as well as have spat in my face.

If however the corners of their mouth instinctively curl upwards to form a gormless smile and their features glaze over in dreamy faraway happiness, I know we can be friends. For life.

The reason why Welbeck isn't universally loved and adored is twofold. First of all some people simply have no soul and don't deserve nice things, and secondly he doesn’t yet score enough goals.

The fact he’s a striker makes the latter a valid complaint. There are obvious mitigating reasons for this such as the fact he’s constantly played out of position on the left wing and asked to contribute to the defensive work of the team, which he does with enthusiasm and smarts.

Yet it can’t be denied that he’s still far too wasteful in front of goal. It’s an acknowledged weakness but there are clear signs he’s improving.

All he needs is for that aspect of his game to click and both his club and country will have a complete striker on their hands. Were any evidence needed as to what happens when you entrust an exciting young striker with a starting berth at the heart of your attack, just look at the wonderful form of Daniel Sturridge.

(Image: Michael Regan)

Sturridge is a year older than Welbeck and prior to this season had a similarly underwhelming scoring record. Then something clicked and he hasn’t looked back.

For me Welbeck is a far more complete and exciting prospect than his Liverpool counterpart.

I appreciate that this opinion is somewhat coloured by my affiliations but it doesn’t make it any less true. And anyway, regardless of the very objective and logical reasons to have such an opinion, since when did being a subjective football fan become so wrong? It’s how it makes you feel that matters.

‘You only rate him because he’s a homegrown player. If he wasn’t there's no way you’d have so much patience,’ is the kind of comment you hear from some curmudgeonly United fans who don’t fully subscribe to the Gospel of Danny.

The simple answer to this is: well of course. The question shouldn't be why I feel this way about a local lad whose associations with the club started at the age of six; the issue is why you don’t, ya weirdo.

Here he is as a youngster getting tips from former United goal-machine Ruud van Nistelrooy:

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Ignore the fact that Welbeck is a brilliant footballer who boasts the physique of an Adonis, the rapid acceleration of a rocket-fuelled flattop and a deft touch and grace that belies his huge telescopic frame; the reason why Welbeck fills by heart with pride and warrants my unconditional adulation is because he’s made in Manchester.

A wonderfully mannered, softly spoken boy who plays for his local team, which happens to be Manchester United.

If as a United fan you don’t love Danny Welbeck with every fibre of your being you simply don’t deserve him. I can’t fathom why anyone wouldn’t feel joy unconfined whenever he has the ball.

He is everything the club should represent: youth, hunger, excitement and courage. At once he manages to be both humble and arrogant in the finest Manc tradition; international and yet gloriously local; a gentle soul who's built like the CIS tower only twice as broad.

When Danny speaks in those lazy eroded vowels that could only ever belong to Longsight M13, my heart near leaps from my mouth.

As someone brought up in a similarly disadvantaged suburb of the city, the pride I feel to watch someone who sounds like me and my mates score at the Bernabeu is unbridled. And I am familiar enough with Ghanaian culture to know that much like us he’ll have grown up receiving the kind of beats you don’t wear around your neck. He's just like you and I; he’s everymanc.

The truth is I find it hard to be wholly objective and rational about Daniel Nii Tackie Mensah Welbeck, but I’ll do my best: Danny Welbeck is Africa; Danny Welbeck is England; most importantly Danny Welbeck is Manchester.

He is everything good and wholesome and true. I often feel like a poor defender must when seeing big Daniel approach: he is my North, my South, my East and West in a very real sense. Welbeck makes me happy.

My love for Danny is unconditional but it needn’t be as he gives so much back anyway. I’m so very proud of what he continues to achieve and judge any fellow red who dares doubt his magnificence.

It’s like he’s a son I feel incredibly protective over, albeit one of West African heritage who would be extremely difficult to explain to the family. Once he adds a few more goals to his game he’ll be unstoppable and then everyone will know.

I’m never happier than when Welbeck has the ball, even when sharing the pitch with the ridiculously talented Adnan Januzaj.

I know that as good as he can be, Daniel will never be in contention for the Ballon d'Or; unless things go horribly wrong Januzaj will - he’s that good.

But for me there’s a very simple difference between the two: I adore Januzaj for the magical things he does; I love Danny for the beautiful things he is: young, gifted and Manc.

Welbeck was among the goals in Man United's 3-0 win at Aston Villa last weekend: