Hornets sweat over Welbeck injury

Watford are waiting on the results of a report from a specialist before they plan a course of action for the recovery of forward Danny Welbeck. England international Welbeck picked up an ankle injury after just four minutes of Saturday’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Tottenham Hotspur and he was replaced by Spanish winger Gerard Deulofeu.
The 28-year-old’s injury just adds to the long list of problems he has had during his career and the initial prognosis from the Hornets’ head of injury prevention and rehabilitation Alberto Leon is not good.
Welbeck, who signed a three-year contract at Vicarage Road this summer after joining on a free transfer, was only making his fifth league appearance of the campaign at the weekend but he doesn’t look like he will be adding to that anytime soon.
Watford are waiting to hear back from a specialist before deciding what to do in regards to the former Arsenal forward’s recovery, which could take longer if surgery is required to fix the issue. “We are waiting on the report from one of the specialists,” Leon was quoted as saying by the Watford Observer. “We did a first report and it’s not the best news but we are waiting for this opinion. We will decide in a few days what we are going to do with the rehab.”
Welbeck has been cursed by injuries from pretty much since the start of the 2015/16 Premier League campaign, having made just 68 league appearances in just over four seasons.
There is a real worry the Englishman, who started his career at Manchester United, could be forced into early retirement if he continues to pick up injuries over the course of the season.
Welbeck would not be the first player that has been forced to hang up the boots prematurely. Dean Ashton retired on December 11, 2009, aged 26, after failing to recover from a long-term ankle injury sustained during international duty with England.
The Swindon-born star, who played for Crewe, Norwich City and West Ham United, was described as a highly-talented forward but his career was cut short due to that ankle issue.