Friday 12 September 2014 11:36, UK
Louis van Gaal has revealed he sold Danny Welbeck to Arsenal because his goal scoring record was not good enough for Manchester United.
The 23-year-old England international was allowed to join Arsene Wenger’s side in a £16million move on transfer deadline day after United agreed to sign Radamel Falcao.
The Dutch coach has come under fire in the wake of Welbeck’s departure with many citing the sale as proof the club has abandoned its famed youth policy.
Van Gaal dismissed this suggestion and said the reason the United youth product was sold was because he was not up to the standard set by Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Falcao.
"Danny Welbeck had been here since he was nine, but after he came back from Sunderland, he does not have the record of Rooney or Van Persie, and that is the standard," said the United boss.
"And we have Falcao. Today, in training, he had one chance and it is a goal. That's why we had to let him (Welbeck) go.”
Van Gaal oversaw a busy summer at United in which a large number of players who had come through United’s academy were allowed to leave the club.
In addition to Welbeck’s departure, Tom Lawrence was sold to Leicester City while Tom Cleverley and Michael Keane left on loan to Aston Villa and Burnley respectively.
Despite these departures, Van Gaal insisted youth will always be given a chance at Old Trafford and stated the players who left did not fit in with his footballing philospohy.
The United boss said the departures of 14 players from the club this summer will give other young players like James Wilson and Tyler Blackett the opportunity to break through.
"The youth is the policy of Manchester United," he said. "When we let go players to other clubs, it is to allow the youth players to have a chance.
"We want to give youth players a chance and the question now is 'can they take this chance?'
“It's of course more risky but Manchester United has always home-grown players in the squad and it's the only way to do it."
