Eyebrows were raised halfway through last season when Manchester United signed Wout Weghorst on loan from Burnley when Erik ten Hag was desperate for another forward to join the ranks.
Weghorst came in as Cristiano Ronaldo’s replacement after the Portuguese star controversially left the club by mutual consent following an extended period out of the team under Erik ten Hag.
United were looking for a stop-gap solution until the end of the season and landed on Weghorst, who had failed in his previous stint in the Premier League with the Clarets.
Quite surprisingly, Weghorst immediately became a first-team regular, starting every week for the first couple of months despite struggling to find the net.
Eventually, the Dutchman lost his place as United edged closer toward the end of the season. Weghorst found the net twice in his six-month spell at Old Trafford but none of his strikes came in the Premier League.
Speaking now, months after leaving the club, he has opened up on his spell at the club and argued that United’s style of play at the time didn’t suit him.
The Bundesliga cult hero says that earlier in his career, he has been used to teams adjusting their styles to his strengths whereas at United, it was the opposite.
“They were super successful months in which we hardly lost. I was also very important for the team, as both a focal point of play and hard-working link between midfield and attack,” Weghorst is quoted as saying by the Mirror.
“Only my goals were lagging behind. That gnawed at me and was the reason why I lost my starting place.
“The Premier League is by far the toughest league in the world, with the best defenders. But we were rarely the dominant side creating chances. And the way we played was also different from what I was used to.
“In Germany and Turkey, the teams always played for me. I was the end of the line, while at United I mainly had to ensure that others could excel. I think I managed that very well. But whichever way you look at it, I would have liked to score much more often.”
Weghorst’s quality was, evidently, not up to the standards expected at United but despite only scoring two goals in over 25 appearances, there are reasons to remember him fondly.
The 31-year-old worked harder than anyone else on the pitch and his mind games in the FA Cup semi-final against Brighton & Hove Albion is still a joy to look back at.
