Danny Welbeck desperate for goals says Manchester United team-mate Rio Ferdinand

The England striker netted twice on the opening day of the season

Danny Welbeck celebrates a goal against Swansea (GETTY IMAGES)

Rio Ferdinand can sense Danny Welbeck is desperate to avoid a second season of goalscoring underachievement.

Despite forcing his way into Roy Hodgson's first-choice England line-up, Welbeck's scoring record for Manchester United last term left much to be desired.

The 22-year-old found the net on only two occasions for the Red Devils last term, with his single Premier League strike coming against Stoke in October.

Welbeck has passed that figure already with his brace at Swansea last weekend, with Ferdinand confirming his team-mate had returned for pre-season training with renewed determination.

"Every other department of Danny's game is fine," said Ferdinand.

"It is just the goalscoring.

"Many people forget he was playing on the wings a lot of the time last season but you still expected him to score more goals.

"You can tell from the way he has approached the season, the way he is training and the way he looks at the moment he has got it in his head he wants to get on the goalscoring sheet.

"You can see that in the positions he is taking up. He is a lot more threatening now."

Ferdinand has spotted the same traits in Robin van Persie, but for different reasons.

Having secured the Golden Boot in addition to his first Premier League title last season, Van Persie's controversial move from Arsenal worked out perfectly.

But, as with Welbeck, he too wants more.

"Robin doesn't want to be remembered as a one-season wonder," said Ferdinand.

"He doesn't want people to think about him as just coming here, doing well in that one season but not being able to continue.

"He wants to do it over a number of years. He is on course to be remembered in that way."

Like so many of his United team-mates, now Van Persie has got the taste for medals, he has no wish to lose it.

"Robin is not a short-term kind of guy," said Ferdinand.

"It is all long term for him. There is a thought process behind everything he does.

"It is all geared towards him being as good as he can be on a weekend.

"In that sense, he is just doing what you expect. He is a top player."

PA