Danny Welbeck felt he was left with no alternative to leaving Manchester United after being told he would be the club’s fifth-choice striker this season.

The England forward ended his 15-year association with United in the early hours of yesterday when he joined Arsenal in a £16 million deal.

The 23-year-old, made 142 appearances for United but was informed that his prospects of regular football were remote after dropping behind James Wilson, an unproven teenager, in the pecking order.

Wilson is highly regarded by United but the 18-year-old has played just 97 minutes of first team football and only made his debut for the club at the end of last season, when he scored twice in a 3-1 win over Hull City at Old Trafford.