Danny Welbeck was not ready to give up his place in what he considers to be the world’s best league.

The unseen efforts to keep him in the Premier League are just starting to pay off with Albion.

And Seagulls fans will hope he is right when he says there is a lot more to come in their colours.

Welbeck hopes for a first home goal against Southampton on Monday after signing for the rest of the season a few weeks into the campaign.

He is non-committal over whether that will lead to a longer stay on the South Coast.

Graham Potter has been delighted with his impact and says the striker still has a lot to prove in the Prem.

Welbeck thinks he knows what the boss means by that – and is certainly delighted to be in the league where he made his name with Manchester United and Arsenal.

He told The Argus: “There is always room to improve.

“I’ve been playing in the Premier League for a number of years.

“It’s the best league in the world and you want to be up there playing at the highest level.

“That is something I want to do.

“I still want to be scoring goals in the Premier League.

“Maybe that is why the gaffer has mentioned that.”

One suspects that Welbeck’s goalscoring track record will have tempted offers from far and wide when he parted company with Watford.

He is not keen to discuss the openings which arose – although there were reports Southampton wanted him.

Welbeck said: “My focus is on the now, the present, with Brighton.

“My focus is just on the next game with Brighton and getting the minutes and goals under my belt.”

Potter was impressed with Welbeck’s fitness and that has allowed him to start playing full 90s for the Seagulls quite quickly.

He has certainly been happy to go the distance, playing a big defensive role late on at Aston Villa and then forcing a penalty against Liverpool.

Welbeck said: “I was still working every single day, keeping myself in the best condition possible.

“There was a physio, Francesco, at Watford. I was still working with him.

“And with Lee and Danny and Pablo at Watford, the fitness coaches.

“They were still helping me out and I was using their facilities.

“I kept myself in the best condition I could. Without training with a team it was a bit difficult.

“I put in the work and when I got to Brighton I was in the best shape I could have been.

“Its taken a little while as I didn’t have a pre-season and have not been in the training sessions.

“But I think I worked hard to try and slot in easily as possible.”

Welbeck still talks football from time to time with Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager who set him on his way at Manchester United.

He says he enjoys watching high-pressing teams like Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

But, asked what sort of football he most likes to watch, he replies: “Winning - that’s the most important thing. Then it’s how you win.

“I just love playing football. Once you’ve got the football at your feet, and you’re on the pitch up against somebody, that’s the joy of the game.

“And there’s a lot of other factors that come into it: the fans, you want them to be there at this moment in time.

“It’s not happened yet but I hope we can get back to that as soon as possible, to get full stadiums rocking again will be amazing.”

Welbeck is backing the American Express Shop Small campaign to encourage the nation to support small local businesses on Small Business Saturday (December 5) and beyond.

Amex’s Shop Small Offer rewards Cardmembers when they spend in any participating small business across the country from December 5-20.

For more info visit: www.americanexpress.co.uk/shopsmall