Danny Welbeck has been cleared to travel with Manchester United to Hull City on Boxing Day, after recovering from a knee injury that cut short his involvement against West Ham on Saturday.

The England striker spent some time on the sidelines with a knee problem earlier in the season but David Moyes was happy to confirm he has not suffered a recurrence of the same injury.

"I didn't know exactly what it was after the game. He had a problem with his knee a few weeks ago but this was just a kick right on the kneecap," the United manager said. " It is only a contact injury, one he should be able to shake off. He has trained and we hope he is OK."

Welbeck has chipped in with three goals in his last three games and Moyes is anxious not to lose him while Robin van Persie is still out of contention. "I think Danny is a really good player, and we want him to become a really good goalscorer," he said. "He has a good scoring record and he has to try to keep that level up."

Moyes is also pleased to see Antonio Valencia returning to something like his best, after struggling for form at the start of the season. "I think Antonio has arguably been our best player in the past month or so," he said. "He just needs to keep trying to improve his final ball but he has been great for the team. He is powerful and he goes past people.

"He's an old-style winger, gets up and down, and we think he might be able to play as an attacking full-back as well, maybe in the future. His combination with Rafael on Saturday was fantastic. Rafael has put in a good couple of games too. He is starting to show me what everybody told me he was capable of."