Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag gives his verdict on new signing Wout Weghorst
In the interview covered by Manchester Evening News before the all-important Manchester Derby, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was asked about his opinion on the new loan signing of Wout Weghorst from Burnley.
Weghorst completed his move to Manchester United on Friday on a six-month loan deal, with no option to buy at the end of it.
Since the final details of the transfer were completed after the deadline to register new players for the games on the weekend, the tall Dutch striker would not be available for selection against Manchester City.
He would most likely get some minutes under his belt in the game against Crystal Palace but Ten Hag is happy with the new incoming and believes he will add another dimension to the squad.
“He is a striker and we had an open position there to fill in. I am really happy and I don’t think we had the type what he is. Most importantly, he can score goals from everywhere and he was always a surprise at every club in every league.”
Ten Hag is correct in the reasoning that we were indeed short of options up-front with Anthony Martial the only forward available and with the Frenchman’s recurring injury issues, it was imperative to get a new forward in.
Weghorst has had previous experience in the Premier League with parent club Burnley but failed to make a notable contribution and was able to score only two goals in 20 games.
However, this should not take away the optimism of the United supporters about the new signing as except for Burnley, Weghorst has a pretty impressive goalscoring elsewhere wherever he has played.
More than the statistics in question, it would be the personality and desire to play for United which stands out and give a message that in spite of the short term of the loan deal, Weghorst would give everything whenever called upon.
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This is of utmost need at the club currently and as Ten Hag has mentioned numerous times, it is the mentality of the players and club which needs to be in sync with one another to bring forward a team that can fight for laurels.
The signing of Weghorst looks underwhelming to many but we should trust the manager and his instincts as all his previous signings have made an instantaneous impact on the club.
