Wout Weghorst has signed for Manchester United on a six month loan.
Weghorst has joined Man United on a six month loan deal until the end of the season, costing Erik ten Hag’s side £2.6 million to terminate his contract at Besiktas where he spent the first half of the season on loan from Burnley.
Signing a striker on loan from Championship side Burnley who was playing in Turkey doesn’t really seem like a normal “Man United” type signing, and you’re right it isn’t. The Manchester side are a club that like the spend big and buy the very best in the world, United spent over £200 million last summer. However, the signing of Weghorst is a smart bit of business from Man United and I think the dutchman could prove to be an effective short-term fix.
Many fans online are confused at this move and wonder why Erik Ten Hag has selected a striker like Weghorst instead of going for Joao Felix or even Marcus Thuram, but the Dutchman possesses qualities that Ten Hag loves in his strikers.
The first being size, Weghorst stands at a towering 6ft 6 inches tall and this type of frame is one that the manager prefers. The Man United manager’s main man at Ajax was Sebastian Haller who is 6ft 3 inches tall and before that Klaas-Jan Huntleaar who’s 6ft 1. The Dutchman’s leading striker at Go Ahead Eagles was Marnix Kolder who is also 6ft 3.
Ten Hag is a big fan of having a “target man” up front, who is good in the air but also good with the ball at his feet. The former Ajax manager requires his strikers to be involved in both the attacking and defending phases of the game, wanting them to possess good link up play and offer a good defensive contribution.
Weghorst offers all of that. The big Dutchman is a very intelligent footballer, with very good link up play and movement he is able to create lots of chances for teammates around him. Weghorst loves dropping into pockets of space and receiving the ball to feet, drawing out a defender and leaving gaps in the defence, allowing a winger to make a run towards goal.
Using his good close control, size and ability to turn quickly, Weghorst is able to get away from his marker and find a teammate with a good through ball or pass.
In his final season at Wolfsburg, the Dutch striker ranked in the top 87th percentile of strikers in Europe’s top five leagues for assists, as well as ranking in the 78th percentile for key passes per 90. At Man United the likes of Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes or Antony would thrive with a striker like Weghorst.
As aforementioned, Ten Hag wants his strikers to defend as well as attack, Weghorst is a very hard working striker and superb defensively. The last time Weghorst was in the Premier League in the 2021/22 season, he averaged the most pressures per 90 of any player in the league with 48.7. United’s new talisman also averages, 1.05 tackles, 0.44 interceptions, 1 block and 3.42 aerials won per 90, ranking him as one of the best strikers in Europe defensively.
Weghorst’s creativity and defensive contribution has been mentioned, but you can't talk about a striker and not mention his ability in front of goal, an area where Weghorst is very good.
There are many Man United fans online that are sceptical about Weghorst’s goal scoring ability. Going off his last spell in the Premier League they have every right to be, the Dutchman only scored 2 goals in 20 games. However, it is important to remember that Weghorst was playing in a poor Burnley side that didn’t create many chances.
This season at Besiktas though, it has been a totally different story, the striker has grabbed himself 8 goals and 4 assists in 16 league games. Whilst at Wolfsburg, Weghorst was their main man, he was the clubs top goalscorer in the Bundesliga three seasons in a row, scoring over 16 goals every season.
Overall the signing of Weghorst on loan until the end of the season is a very smart move from Man United. Weghorst fits the build of a Ten Hag type striker perfectly, so should have a big impact under the Dutchman. Weghorst offers something at Man United that no other player at the club does, his size, defensive output, movement, ability inside and outside the area will make Weghorst a real nightmare for other Premier League defenders, as well as making good squad depth and rotation for Anthony Martial as he was the only striker at the club.
Looking forward to seeing what Weghorst can do for Ten Hag’s team and with the Red Devils still in all four competitions this season, I’m sure we’ll see lots of Weghorst in a Man United shirt.