Sir Alex Boosts Welbeck

Sir Alex Ferguson insists the arrival of Robin van Persie will aid – and not prohibit – Danny Welbeck’s development at United.

Van Persie brings to Old Trafford a wealth of experience and success gained at the highest level with both Arsenal and the Netherlands.

And Sir Alex believes the 29-year-old can pass on some knowledge of his craft to Welbeck, just as Eric Cantona nurtured 'Fergie’s Fledglings' 20 years ago.

"You can always learn from great players," the Reds boss said. "Remember what Cantona did for all the young players when he arrived? He was a tremendous teacher for them.

"Danny will learn from playing with Robin, [Wayne] Rooney and Chicharito. I think we have a great combination of strikers now and that's encouraged me."

Welbeck has already welcomed van Persie’s arrival and while the Manchester-born youngster may not feature in every game this season, he’s certain to benefit in the long term by working alongside such a varied array of forwards.

Sir Alex added: "I saw his interview and it was very refreshing. He started talking about scoring more goals – I hope he's right!

"At 21 he's a young boy. He's still growing and has niggles, but he’s going to be a big boy. He won't play every week but when he's 23 or 24 he’ll be a fantastic player."