Welbeck: I can be prolific

Danny Welbeck insists he has what it takes to be a prolific goalscorer for club and country.

The 23-year-old forward, who joined Arsenal from Manchester United on transfer deadline day, is set to start England's opening Euro 2016 qualifier against Switzerland after first-choice striker Daniel Sturridge suffered a thigh injury during training this week.

Welbeck's goalscoring record is somewhat underwhelming - 29 goals in 142 games for Manchester United and eight in 27 for the national team - but he believes he can improve his goals-to-games ratio, especially if he plays in his favoured centre-forward position.

"I prefer to play as a centre-forward," he told the Sunday Times. "We'll see (about his scoring rate) when I get my opportunity to do that. I've never had the opportunity to get a consistent run of games as No 9 but have faith in my ability."

With the international retirements of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole, Welbeck now finds himself among the most senior members of Roy Hodgson's England squad and he admits it is time for his game to reach its maturity.

He said: "I'm no longer a young player. There are a lot of younger players than me in the squad, by quite a few years.

The Holland boss has nothing but praise for the young winger and feels he has a bright future ahead of him

Netherlands coach Guus Hiddink believes that PSV attacker Memphis Depay has the potential to become his country's best player.
The promising youngster, 20, rose to prominence this summer with a string of fine performances at the World Cup after previously impressing in the Eredivisie and Hiddink has little doubt the winger has a bright future ahead of him.
"Depay has the potential to become Netherlands' best player," Hiddink told NOS.
"I've noticed that he has even more potential than I first thought now that I'm working with him.
"He still has plenty of room for improvement. I first thought that it was hard to approach him, but I was wrong. He is incredibly interested and keen to learn.
"I can't say yet whether he will start against Czech Republic, but that's definitely an option."
Depay has made 10 international appearances so far, scoring twice in the process.

The former Liverpool boss feels that Louis van Gaal is running the risk of being left behind in the race for the Champions League places if he persists with his 3-5-2 formation

Former Liverpool manager Graeme Souness warns that Manchester United are in for "a long and painful transition" if Louis van Gaal continues with his new 3-5-2 formation.

The Dutchman took Netherlands to third place at the World Cup over the summer using the new system but has yet to secure his first win with the Red Devils while adopting the same shape.

Souness argues that United are running the risk of being left behind in their quest to return to the Champions League.

"A coach has to be brave to say that he is going to pursue a system before he gets to know his players," he wrote in The Sunday Times. "They have to buy into it.

"If Van Gaal is determined to persist with a back three, this is going to be a long and painful transition for United. The team may take until November to settle down. You ain't going to win the league if you take that long and you might not make the Champions League places either.

"United have already dropped seven points from a possible nine. If you continue with three at the back and the results are not improving, players will not be slow in turning round and pointing their fingers at the coach, saying: 'It's not that I am not playing well, it's the system.'"

Van Gaal spent a British-record £57.9 million on signing winger Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid late in the transfer window and Souness feels that a four-at-the-back system would better suit the Red Devils' new star man.

"Di Maria is too much of a winger to play as a wing-back so he would play one position inside the widest man in a 3-5-2," the Scot observed. "If you play with a back four, you can play him wide, as Argentina did when he made three goals and scored the other in their 4-2 win over Germany [on Wednesday].

"There is a question-mark against Radamel Falcao as well. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in January and missed the World Cup.