Can this Arsenal ace prove Van Gaal wrong tonight?

In the dying hours of deadline day on 2^nd September 2014, Louis Van Gaal made one of the biggest shocks of the summers deals - selling Danny Welbeck to rivals Arsenal.

The deal was one that shocked many football fans around the world as Welbeck had made a total of 142 appearances scoring 29 goals and had been a constant in the Manchester United squad.

At the time, Van Gaal said: “Welbeck doesn't have the record of Robin van Persie or Wayne Rooney. We let him go because of Falcao, but also to allow the youngsters to fit in.”

The two clubs will now meet in the quarter finals of the FA and with Robin Van Persie out injured, will Van Gaal be thinking he made a mistake selling the young striker?

When he was sold, Welbeck told the press that he was looking forward to the change and challenge Arsenal would bring because he didn’t like the style of Manchester United, as they kept playing him on wing and he wanted to play as a centre forward.

He made his debut for the Gunners in September and since then his game has really improved, although he has struggled with injury in recent months. He has made 17 appearances for the club, scoring four goals, but manager Arsene Wenger has called him “invaluable”.

[ad_pod id='football-friends' align='center']

Interestingly, the player he supposedly left for, Falcao, has made 16 appearances also scoring just four goals. Sounds like Van Gaal has swapped a player for his twin - a like-for-like swap.

So six months on, was the deal they right one for all parties involved?

Welbeck has been dropped to the bench in the last two games but he is expected to start tonight. Talking about the 24 year-old, Wenger said: “He's very important and has played many, many games since the start of the season. His position is one of the three up front, central, left or right. He can play anywhere.”

So it seems Danny Welbeck is the caterpillar that turned into the butterfly. Before he was a player who didn’t quite fit into one man’s plans, and now he is a versatile and indispensable part of Arsenal's top four and FA Cup ambitions.

The England striker is well known for being a versatile player - although he hates people saying that about him, he just loves playing upfront.

For Arsenal and Welbeck the move seems to be the right choice but, with some of Van Gaal’s signings not quite playing up to scratch, there is a possibility there could be a small twinge of regret there.

Radio station talkSPORT set up a survey to find out whether Arsenal fans thought he was a hit or miss. The result? 62% of fans thought he had been a hit, and I have to agree that though he may not have scored hundreds of goals, he has been pretty consistent for the club since September.

And, if Wenger thinks he is irreplaceable - how can anyone disagree?

Whether he made the right decision or not, I have a funny feeling a goal is on the cards tonight for Welbeck.