Per - Danny channelled his motivation

Per Mertesacker has hailed Danny Welbeck's performance against Manchester United that helped send Arsenal into the FA Cup semi-finals.

The England forward made the switch to north London last summer and scored the Gunners' second goal on his return to Old Trafford.

Mertesacker was also impressed with the way the 24-year-old led the line in front of more than 9,000 travelling fans.

“Danny was really motivated and you could see that in the first half,” he told Arsenal Player. “He was always demanding balls and trying to get through but we kept him patient and he pressed from the top in the second half.

“For him, leaving a great place like here was not an easy decision. He was a great player here but he continues at Arsenal. I think he has done extremely well this season and I hope we do it again and again.

“He was rewarded with a special goal for him, but as a team we defended from the top and that was the key.

“I’m very proud. The team performance was so great and that’s why I’m very pleased with the performance. We go to Wembley again and that’s something we can be very proud of.

“The support is vital, you can see that. We need a lot of bodies here to compete with that big crowd from Manchester United but at the end, with that crowd, it was a proud feeling and you could tell that everyone was up for the challenge to win here and celebrate with the fans.”