Danny Welbeck v Radamel Falcao

Louis van Gaal defended his decision to sell Danny Welbeck and loan in Radamel Falcao on Monday night – but the stats show the Arsenal frontman has enjoyed a more productive season than his Colombian counter-part.

Welbeck – who came through the United youth team - grabbed headlines for scoring the winner against his former club in Arsenal’s FA Cup quarter-final 2-1 success at Old Trafford, while Falcao remained an unused substitute.

The goal was Welbeck’s eighth of the campaign in all competitions – double the tally racked up by Falcao, the man Van Gaal borrowed from Monaco to strengthen his frontline in the summer, when he allowed the England man to move to the Emirates.

Both players have faced injury problems this season but Welbeck, who has played ten more games than Falcao, has a better minutes-per-goal scoring rate (278 v 304), has unleashed more than twice as many shots (34 v 69) and created 31 chances to Falcao’s 14.

Falcao does have more assists to his name (four v two), though, and Van Gaal was keen to defend his frontman in the post-match press conference on Monday.

“He has scored four goals, had four assists and he stimulates the other players, so that is an aspect of the profession," he said.

However, it was Welbeck celebrating come the final whistle and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was full of praise for his signing’s attitude against his former side.

“We want all to do well when we play against our former club, to show we are a great player, but it's not easy to deal with the mental situation,” he said.

"He focused just on his game and didn't do anything special, just played football like you want him to play, and I think he has shown mental strength."

Credit: Skysports.com