At the ripe old age of 34, Welbeck is in the form of his life, and rumours are swirling that Thomas Tuchel is primed to give the former Arsenal and Man United forward his first England call-up since 2018.
Six goals in ten Premier League games for Brighton, including a brace against Chelsea, another brace against Newcastle, and one versus Manchester United put him level on terms with Antoine Semenyo as the second-highest scorer in the Premier League, although he’s seven off Man City’s giant Norwegian robot.
So, here is why Tuchel would be right to give Welbeck another chance with England.
England’s striker problem
Outside of Harry Kane, who is arguably the best striker on the planet right now, England don’t have any solid options up top. In fact, Welbeck is the second highest scoring Englishman across Europe’s top five leagues, behind the Bayern Munich superstar.
Ollie Watkins, who is probably Tuchel’s second choice behind Kane, is struggling in front of goal so far this season, only scoring once in 14 games across all competitions for Villa, though he did score for England in their 3-0 win over Wales in the last international break.
Behind him is Dominic Solanke, whose ongoing injury issues mean he hasn’t featured for club or country since Tottenham’s 2-0 win over Man City back in August, with several reports emerging that new manager Thomas Frank doesn’t rate him.
Ivan Toney’s move to Saudi Arabia has, rightly or wrongly, all but ruled him out of contention for a place in the England set-up. At the same time, Chelsea’s Liam Delap, who is yet to earn a senior England call-up, had a hamstring injury delay the start to his career in West London.
Marcus Rashford is back in form now that he swapped Man United for Barcelona, but he’s never really been a number nine; his best position is playing off the left, and with Tuchel seemingly a big fan, that is likely where Rashford will play.
At the moment, Welbeck is the best option to provide cover to Kane, who will undoubtedly be the main man going into next year’s World Cup, and if he keeps his form up, potentially the one after that.
What is being said about Welbeck's England chances?
Both Welbeck and his Brighton boss, who happens to be two years younger than the striker, have openly spoken about his chances of returning to the England squad, with Hurzeler backing his number nine to make an impression.
"I have a big belief that Danny Welbeck is able to play for England," he said after Brighton’s 3-0 Premier League win over Leeds on Saturday.
"I asked the question of the squad if they think Danny Welbeck and play for England and they all agreed, so that was the only time we mentioned it. Let's see what happens.
"But I will try to emphasise that England has a great coach and he will make the right decisions."
Welbeck, who will be 35 when the 2026 World Cup finally rolls around, was a little more coy regarding a potential recall, saying: "I just control what I can control - I am enjoying playing my football here at Brighton, my focus is always on Brighton and doing the best that I can,” he said.
“To get the goals is important for me and the team, and to get three points."
Thomas Tuchel has a history
Stylistically, Welbeck is probably the closest thing England have to Kane. They’re both old-school number nines who link play brilliantly and have an eye for goal, although Kane is obviously the better of the two.
Tuchel’s continued faith in Jordan Henderson when many had written the midfielder off clearly shows how much the German values having strong leaders and experience in his side, Welbeck is similar in that regard.
Winning a World Cup takes more than just having a great squad, Tuchel is aware of that, and Welbeck would offer what few other England strikers have.
Verdict
The biggest factor in Welbeck’s favour is the fact that England don’t have any other decent options beyond Kane. At this point, there is absolutely no harm in giving Welbeck another shot; it’s almost totally risk-free, and should it work, it would be hailed as a masterstroke from Tuchel.