Source: Daily_Mail
Danny boy can be Fab for club and country, claims Sir Alex
Danny Welbeck has been hailed by Sir Alex Ferguson as a prodigious young striking talent who can force his way into England's World Cup squad next summer.
Fans have already seen dramatic evidence of the potential of one teenage striker at Old Trafford, with 17-year-old Federico Macheda scoring two vital winning goals against Aston Villa and Sunderland just as Ferguson's side seemed to be faltering in their bid to retain the Barclays Premier League crown.
But the Manchester United boss this weekend paid tribute to Welbeck, an 18-year-old from Manchester who is among the next crop of youngsters progressing through the ranks at Old Trafford.
Ferguson said: 'Danny's a certainty to make it at the highest level. I've told England coach Fabio Capello the boy will be in his World Cup squad next year.
'Wide left or right or through the middle, he has the intelligence, guts, athleticism and talent to do the job. He's going to be a big lad. He's yet to get the conformation in his thighs so he is still gangly, but he's brave enough to carry that. When he completes his growing, he'll really be something.
'Danny's a terrific, down-to-earth boy and I'd like to have given him more chances but at this stage of the season all our results are vital.'
It is typical of Ferguson that, at the end of a successful campaign when Macheda stole the headlines, he chose to single out another promising young striker for the highest praise.
Nevertheless, the United manager does not expect Macheda - or 'Kiko'as he is known - to linger long in the the reserve team, either.
'Nobody has to be told about Kiko's ability,' said Ferguson.
'And he is a hard b*****d. Strikers need a bit of that.'
Ferguson and his players celebrated their latest title at the club's Player of the Year dinner last night.
Enlarge Butthe manager is already looking ahead to next season.
With Carlos Tevezlikely to leave and Cristiano Ronaldo's future not as assured as chiefexecutive David Gill suggested on radio yesterday, Ferguson has obviouspuzzles to solve. But he will not concern himself too much.
He will expect a greater return from £30million striker Dimitar Berbatov but continues to see improvement in the likes of Wayne Rooney, Ji-sung Park and 21-year-old Brazilian Anderson.
Midfielders Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher give Ferguson great cause for optimism. With the influence of Paul Scholes, 34, on the wane and 35-year-old Ryan Giggs used sparingly and in a different role - both have just one year left on their contracts - Ferguson has needed two of the quieter members of his squad to step forward this season. And they have done just that.
Elsewhere, the emergence of defenders Rafael and Jonny Evans leaves Ferguson with just the possible acquisition of a new left back as cover to consider. Rafael's twin, Fabio, is the only understudy to Patrice Evra.
The cosmopolitan make-up of his squads has helped Ferguson eradicate the drinking culture he was confronted with when he took over in 1986.
'Players from other parts of the world tend to have more natural discipline about how they address football, the training and their social life,' he told the Sunday Times.
'There is a massive change in the game's association with alcohol, though there are still remnants of the old attitudes to socialising among British players. Many of the Europeans and South Americans wouldn't dream of having a drink, even if it was an anniversary or birthday.'
'But gone are the days when even great players might think nothing of overdoing it with alcohol.'
And Ferguson even found time to single out a British player who epitomises the Scot's appreciation of excellence. And he plays for the opposition.
'Frank Lampard is an exceptional player, a huge asset to Chelsea,' he said. 'You pay attention to players who can get goals from midfield and he's been averaging 20 a season. You don't see him getting into stupid tackles or making a habit of becoming involved in silly rows. As I say, Lampard is exceptional.'
But it will Barcelona's superstars who face United and not Lampard's Chelsea on May 27 in the Champions League final.
'Chelsea would have presented the more straight forward challenge, one we've learnt how to deal with over the past year or two,' admitted Ferguson.
'The way Barcelona operate their midfield makes it very difficult to get the ball off them. But with the right tactics, their game is containable.'
