Former Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher has claimed that the club were wrong to sell Danny Welbeck to Arsenal in 2014.
Welbeck had been with the club since 2001, coming through the ranks before spending six seasons in the senior squad under Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes.
However, the England international joined Premier League rivals Arsenal on deadline day of the 2014 summer transfer window, and Fletcher believes that that decision was one of a number that Louis van Gaal got wrong during his time at Old Trafford.
"Lots of players who left under Van Gaal should still be there in my view. That's not me having a go at anyone, but the day Danny Welbeck was sold to Arsenal was a sad day," he told ESPN FC.
"He is what a Manchester United player should be about - a local lad, young, great player, team player, somebody who sacrificed himself for the greater good of the team, loved by his teammates.
He was on the brink of becoming a top, top player and he would have been a top player for United."
Welbeck has since scored 16 goals in 56 appearances during his injury-ravaged Arsenal career.
Martin Keown has spoken of his disbelief after Arsene Wenger left Alexis Sanchez out of his starting line-up for Arsenal’s 3-1 loss at Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday evening.
Arsene Wenger decided to leave the Chile international on the bench for the trip to their top-four rivals as the Arsenal boss started with Olivier Giroud, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Danny Welbeck.
Liverpool eased into a commanding first-half lead thanks to goals from Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane at Anfield as the visitors struggled to live with Jurgen Klopp’s forward players.
Wenger brought on Sanchez at half-time and the former Barcelona forward teed up Danny Welbeck to halve the deficit at the start of the second half.
However, Georginio Wijnaldum restored Liverpool’s two-goal advantage with minutes remaining at Anfield to hoist the Reds above Arsenal and into fourth place in the table.
Speaking to BBC One’s Match Of The Day show, former Arsenal defender Keown was critical of Wenger’s decision to omit Sanchez.
“Dropping Sanchez was stunning,” Keown said.
“I really can’t understand the thinking behind that.
He’s their best player. They didn’t actually play direct in the match.”
Arsenal legend Ian Wright has admitted that he would want to leave the club if he was in the same position as Alexis Sanchez.
The Chilean's future has been the subject of much debate throughout the current campaign, and the issue was raised once again when Arsene Wenger opted to start him on the bench for this afternoon's Premier League clash with Liverpool.
Sanchez was eventually introduced at half time, setting up Danny Welbeck's goal, but he couldn't prevent the Gunners from slumping to a 3-1 defeat that leaves Wright worried about their chances of finishing in the top four this season.
"I have to say with Arsenal's form at the moment, I do worry for them.
They are looking at momentum and trying to build confidence and we've just watched a game where our best player has been left out," he told BT Sport.
"When he came on he showed the difference he made. If you're going to leave him out, who's coming in to inspire this intensified game that Arsene Wenger wants?
Who's going to inspire the team? You have to worry for Arsenal finishing in the top four. I wouldn't stay if I was Sanchez.
"If I can't get into the Arsenal team when they're coming to places like Anfield, when you need to win to stay in the top four - just to try and consolidate what you did last season - and there is unrest around him anyway, why do I want to stay?
We're not actually challenging for anything, got hammered out of the Champions League, and he is a sought-after player. His agent is probably making phone calls now.
It's a worry. It's a massive worry."
Sanchez is the joint leading scorer in the Premier League this season with 17 goals.
Kieran Gibbs has insisted that Arsenal teammate Danny Welbeck can "be a force" for the club once putting his injury woes behind him for good.
The former Manchester United forward returned from his second long-term layoff in the space of two years in January, making a big impact by scoring twice on his first start in the 5-0 thrashing of Southampton.
Welbeck has featured in just two of the Gunners' five matches since then, however, amassing a total of 28 minutes from the bench in games with Hull City and Chelsea in the Premier League.
Gibbs is confident that Welbeck is now over his latest injury setback, claiming that the England international is in peak fitness and ready to go for the trip to face Liverpool at the weekend.
"You can tell from his story and his background that he's a winner and he's really had a big impact coming to the club.
He's looking the fittest and strongest I've ever seen him," he told the club's official website.
"It's important we keep him fit and make sure he comes back at the right time and not rush it too much. Someone as powerful as him - when he's well managed - he can be a force for us."
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger will also likely have fit-again Aaron Ramsey and Laurent Koscielny to call upon at Anfield on Saturday evening, while Mesut Ozil is also in contention.
