Danny Welbeck is reportedly in ‘persistent pain’ from his ankle despite recovering from the serious break he suffered that put an end to his time at Arsenal.

Welbeck is hoping to line up against Spurs on Saturday, a side he never scored against for Arsenal (he’s played them 11 times and has two goals, both of which he scored for United).

Before the match, his Watford boss, Quique Sanchez Flores, revealed the England man is in constant pain.

“Danny is making a big, big effort,” Flores said.

“He is in persistent pain from his ankle.

“But he is hungry to show what he can do and his attitude is amazing – even though we know sometimes, when he goes on the pitch or in training, that he is suffering.

“I know how difficult it is to create a balance between playing and resting when you have pain in the ankle because I had many problems with my ankles when I was a player.

“But he is working very well with our medical staff.”

So far this season, Welbeck has played 306 minutes across all competitions for Watford, scoring one goal in the EFL Cup against Swansea. He has played the full 90 just once.

Having broken a joint, albeit not as badly as Welbeck, I know from specialists that it is impossible to do so without causing permanent damage. I also know that for a number of years after the injury, the slightest knock where I had suffered the break caused a lot of pain.

I can only imagine how Welbeck’s ankle feels and you do have to worry about his career going forward when you think about Abou Diaby and his ankle injury.