Weirbeck: Joining Brighton after an injury, I just want to prove that I can still play in the Premier League

In an interview with TheAthletic on August 22, Wilbeck talked about his injury experience, recent situation and future.

If it weren't for the recurrence of injuries, Wilbeck's Premier League games would have been more than 364. Especially during his time at Arsenal, he suffered two knee cartilage injuries, the worst was a dislocation of his right ankle and a fracture in November 2018, resulting in season reimbursement. It happened to be the last year of the contract with Villebeck at Arsenal, and nine months later, the club chose to terminate the contract with him. In August 2019, Welbeck joined Watford as a free agent.

"That time was very difficult for me because I just recovered from a very serious injury and you don't know if you can still play at the highest level. You do everything you can to get back to the field, but experts tell you it won't be easy, and even suggest you may not be able to reach that level anymore. You need to overcome a lot of obstacles, and fortunately I have a good person around me and have a lot of support from my family and friends. They gave me a good platform and foundation to keep going. When I came to Brighton, I just wanted to prove that I can still play at the highest level in the Premier League. I did it and look forward to continuing for a long time."

Because of my outstanding performance at Brighton, Villbeck attracted the interest of then-Manchester Ten Hach in the summer of 2023. Last season, he scored in double goals in the Premier League for the first time. However, Weirbeck doesn't quite agree with what the data is like: "I did perform better and scored goals, but it also depends on how you look at the data. I want my team to win, and if I sometimes need to sacrifice a little personal honor in exchange for victory, I'd be happy to do it. I think it's important to Brighton. You can't always rely on someone, everyone has to give it all, and that's the key to our success."

Speaking of retirement, Weirbeck said: "I won't think about it. Playing football is my life. My job has been playing for the past 17 years. Professional football, I feel extremely lucky to be able to do this. I have always been grateful for being in the position today, and I have put in a great effort to do it, and all hopes can continue as long as possible until I feel it is no longer suitable. But you also have to plan for the future, and at the moment I cannot be sure what that will be, whether it is to stay in the football world or do something completely different. I haven't thought about this much yet, because I'm in good shape, I feel that my body is still strong, and I don't think retirement will come as soon as people think."