Welbeck pleased to link up with Manchester United team-mate Ashley Young for England

Posted Sunday, June 03, 2012 by Goal.com

Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck spoke of his happiness at the link-up play between himself and domestic team-mate Ashley Young in England's 1-0 win over Belgium at Wembley on Saturday.

The midfielder provided the assist for the youngster to net the only goal of the game ten minutes before the break to secure victory in the side’s final match before Euro 2012.

And Welbeck is excited at the prospect of building upon the partnership on the national stage.

"It's still the same, me and Ashley playing together," Welbeck told reporters. "We know each other's games and obviously we're training with each other day in and day out, so it was really good to start up top with him."

The 21-year-old's strike was his first for his country, and he could not hide his pleasure at opening his account with the national side.

"To get my first England goal in that way, obviously I'm really delighted and it's a massive honour. I'm just really looking to build on that performance and get more games under my belt and more goals.

"It's something I've been waiting for a long time. I've had a few caps under my belt and one or two starts. So just to get the goal today, I'm really delighted."

Welbeck will have to fight hard for a place in Hodgson's starting line-up at the European Championships, with Andy Carroll and Jermain Defoe also in contention. Wayne Rooney will also be waiting to return following the conclusion of his two-match suspension, which rules him out of the games against France and Sweden.

But, despite the competition, he is relishing the challenge and believes that the various options available will give the team a boost in the tournament.

"We've got an array of talent across the whole squad and I think everybody's just pushing forward to get on the pitch and show what they can do," he added.

"And that's only good for England."