Manchester United’s hunt for a new striker following Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure has taken another turn and this time it could see them bring in Burnley striker Wout Weghorst on loan.
Wout Weghorst, 30, joined Burnley from Wolfsburg in January 2022 in a bid to help them maintain their Premier League status. However, he netted only two goals in 20 league games as Burnley suffered relegation under Sean Dyche.
Following relegation, the Dutch striker moved to Besiktas on loan from the Clarets last summer. He has thrived in Besiktas colours in the Turkish Super Lig, registering eight goals and four assists in 16 appearances. He appeared to wave an emotional goodbye to the fans after scoring the winner in the 2-1 victory over Kasimpasa on Saturday.
Weghorst wants to make the move to Old Trafford and join Erik ten Hag’s forces and Manchester United are reportedly waiting to find out if Burnley can come to an agreement with Besiktas to terminate his loan, after the Turkish club’s sporting director Ceyhun Kazanci claimed a deal would not be straightforward.
A loan move for Weghorst is understood to be Man United’s current focus before revisiting the position in the summer when there will be long-term targets available.
Ten Hag wants cover for Anthony Martial
Manchester United are short of options up front after the acrimonious exit of Cristiano Ronaldo, leaving manager Erik ten Hag with only Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.
Marcus Rashford is in the unbelievable form now, scoring goals and making assists for fun. However, he is not a natural striker and prefers to play off the left. Anthony Martial, in reality, remains the only centre-forward in the squad but he is yet to complete 90 minutes this term due to chronic fitness problems.
This has left Ten Hag worried and he wants to bring in a new striker to not only add cover for Martial and Rashford but also manage the duo’s workload.
Wout Weghorst could be a smart short-term fix for Man United
Wout Weghorst is the latest striker to be linked with a move to Man United. The 30-year-old, who scored a brace for the Netherlands against Argentina in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals, would represent an option for the Red Devils they currently don’t have in their squad—a physical and towering presence as well as an impressive scoring record at the club and international level.
The Netherlands international has the qualities to be a short-term fix for United’s problems up front. Weghorst coming in on a temporary loan spell to fill the void left by Ronaldo in the squad and also provide cover for Martial, who cannot be relied upon to play every game, should represent a smart move. In addition, the ex-Wolfsburg star’s hold-up play and physicality should give the Red Devils’ attack a different dimension while he is an asset to have in the team from set-pieces.
Signing a long-term striker for the future should be the plan for Ten Hag and United in the summer, but there’s absolutely no harm in bringing on Weghorst on a six-month loan deal.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
