Gareth Southgate says he is glad to have Danny Welbeck back in the national team squad, after the Arsenal striker scored England’s third against Malta on Friday.

The England manager was full of praise for the 26-year-old ahead of the match against Slovakia on Monday night. He said via the Daily Star: “It’s good to see him back and looking strong. We would have liked to have picked him in March and June, but both times he wasn’t fully back after injury.

“Danny can play a couple of different roles, which makes him a valuable asset. He’s got a good scoring record at international level. It’s one in every two-and-a-half games and that stands up against most players really.”

Whatever Welbeck’s form for Arsenal, he does seem to find another level when playing for his country. when you look at his goalscoring statistics. There’s also never a doubt about the striker’s work-rate, for club or country.

As for the comment about his versatility, the forward has already played both as a wide-forward and as a centre-forward in the Premier League this season.

England will need to find goals from different sources after record goalscorer Wayne Rooney took his new start at Everton as an opportunity to bow out of the international game.

Tottenham’s Harry Kane looks to have stepped up to the mark with his two goals against Malta, but Welbeck’s goals could be important. One thing I can say for sure is that it’s good to be talking about Welbeck’s performances again, rather than his fitness.

Spending so long on the sidelines, only to come back and pick up another injury, is something you’d never wish on a player. Hopefully this time around he can stay injury-free.