Danny Welbeck has revealed why he idolised Thierry Henry when he was growing up.

The England forward joined Arsenal last summer and scored eight times in his debut season, including an FA Cup quarter-final winner against former club Manchester United.

However, despite growing up just three miles away from Old Trafford, one of Welbeck’s childhood heroes belonged to his boyhood club's biggest rivals.

"That’s what was so special about him - fans from other teams had to love him because he was that good" Danny Welbeck

“It was hard because I was a United fan and we were playing against Arsenal, but it’s hard not to like Thierry Henry,” he told Arsenal Player.

“That’s what was so special about him - fans from other teams had to love him because he was that good. At the time all the kids around my area liked Thierry Henry.

“When I was watching the Premier League on TV I was seeing what Thierry Henry was doing and it’s just something that you can’t look away from. From them on, I enjoyed watching the way he played.

“I just loved the way he played, the way he scored goals, the way he played with the team. It was great and it’s the same with Ryan Giggs, I loved watching him for Manchester United.”

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