Welbeck call up blocked

Pearce revealed that he opted not to call up Welbeck for a trip to Norway this week after speaking to the Manchester United boss.

“I spoke to Sir Alex straight after the [Iceland] game. He had concerns about Danny travelling back from Montenegro [with England’s senior side] and then getting on a plane to Oslo.

“I quite understood that but I had to make the call because I’ve only got one striker in the squad. I had a decent chat with him and moved on from there. I quite understand his position.”