'Touch sticks to him' - Danny Welbeck reveals personal nickname for Brighton's new silky star
Brighton veteran striker Danny Welbeck has revealed the nickname he has given one of his new teammates after they both scored in a superb 3-2 win over Tottenham.
Welbeck scored the winner at the Amex Stadium after the hosts staged a sensational second-half comeback.
The 33-year-old became the second highest scoring player for Albion in Premier League history (27 goals). He is only behind Pascal Gross – a special guest at the Amex on Sunday – who left for Borussia Dortmund in the summer with 30 Brighton goals.
Welbeck was set up by Georginio Rutter, who had scored the equaliser after Yankuba Minteh halved the deficit.
Speaking to Premier League Productions (PLP) about the former Leeds star post-match, Welbeck said: “I’ve nicknamed Georginio Velcro because it sticks to his feet.
"When he got to the by-line I knew it was an area he could find and we have a good understanding and luckily I was there to score.”
In another interview, the former Manchester United and Arsenal striker added: "I nicknamed him velcro as his touch sticks to him - it was a nice assist."
Rutter – who redeemed himself for his error which led to Tottenham’s opener – told Sky Sports: "We are happy and stayed together like the coach said 'we have to believe'. Today is what we do. We have three points so we're happy.
"What we said at half-time was 'it's not about tactics, it's about fighting'."
Welbeck also spoke to Sky Sports after the game.
He said: "It is obviously amazing to win the game and get the three points. In the first half we were bitterly disappointed and frustrated - the performance we put in was embarrassing. Nothing we want to be part of, but we showed our character. The attitude was right in the second half we come out and fought.
"We have got to give credit to the senior boys who are not in the pitch the likes, of Steely [Jason Steele] and [James] Milner – they told us the bare minimum is we've got to fight. Everyone is together in this.
"We are wanting to be challenging the establishment like the management touched upon."
In his interview with PLP, Welbeck said it would have been ‘difficult for anyone’ to predict what happened in the second-half.
"It was about attitude and character,” he explained.
"It was about that fighting spirit and we need that from the start. We came out and responded brilliantly.
"A goal early always helps. I think once we came out in the second, as a team we were ready to do a lot better in the second half."
"I wasn’t happy with the first half but I was able to keep going. I’ve got a lot of experience. As you can see, not everyone can come into this league and hit the ground running. I've been in this league since I was young and I’m always available to help the players. I’m on four at the moment and I want more."