England coach Roy Hodgson has challenged Danny Welbeck to keep new Manchester United teammate Robin van Persie on the bench this season.

He insists Welbeck has to knock the double Footballer of the Year "off his perch".

Hodgson said: "We hope this raises the bar and makes them better.

"That's been the case since time ­immemorial. You're a young player and you're at a top club and there's someone in front of you who's been there and done it for a number of years.

"What you have got to do is knock him off his perch and make life ­uncomfortable for him. So nothing changes in that ­respect.

"And if players are good enough, whether they are 18 or 19 as Wayne Rooney was when he moved to Manchester United, or whether they are 35 or 36 and still playing, it is that question of 'Are they good enough?'

"It's the matches every week that decide that."