Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Manchester United icon ‘100% convinced’ by new striker despite modest Prem record

Wout Weghorst, Netherlands, December 2022

Manchester United icon Ruud van Nistelrooy is ‘100% convinced’ Wout Weghorst will ‘stand out’ and ‘make an impact’ as a Red Devils player.

United have now confirmed the signing of Weghorst. Indeed, that was after transfer insider Fabrizio Romano had claimed the deal was ‘complete’.

Now, it will surely not be long until the striker has his first run out in United colours.

Whether or not the move is a good one can be argued from both sides. On one hand, United’s only senior central attacking options before the move were Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

However, Rashford is currently plying his trade as a wide player. He’s doing very well in that role, too, having scored eight goals in his last eight games.

United would prefer to see him continue to thrive in whichever role he is most comfortable. In any case, an injury to either him or Martial would leave them very thin on attacking options.

From that viewpoint, signing Weghorst seems a smart choice, given he provides cover in that event.

On the other hand, during the striker’s last venture into Premier League football, he scored two goals in 20 games, and was unable to help Burnley stave off relegation. As such, it could be argued that United could have signed a more prolific forward.

Van Nistelrooy backs Weghorst ‘100%’

Despite his modest returns in the English top flight, former United star Van Nistelrooy thinks Weghorst will succeed at the club.

“I think Wout has so much character and qualities that he will stand out there,” he said, quoted by Voetbal International.

“I experienced him at the national team. He’s just a champion of a guy, with an incredibly competitive character. We also saw that at the World Cup.”

Indeed, Weghorst cropped up with some important goals at the World Cup. His brace against Argentina in the quarter-finals kept Netherlands in the game.

He has also had success in front of goal in club football in other countries. The forward’s best return in a season was 25 goals for Wolfsburg in 2020/21, a tally which included 20 Bundesliga goals.

That season, he was outscored in the league by only Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland and Andre Silva – the former pair are seen as two of the world’s best strikers.

United will hope he can put himself in the company of some of the world’s best yet again.

Weghorst ‘ready’ to ‘impact’ United

Being a Manchester United striker is a job that comes with a good deal of pressure. The footsteps of the likes of Wayne Rooney, Eric Cantona and Van Nistelrooy are hard to follow.

However, Van Nistelrooy thinks Weghorst has what it takes to do that.

“Wout is ready for such a step, and he will make his contribution there. I am 100% convinced of that. He has the qualities to make an impact at United,” he added.

United will hope he is right, or he will be thrown onto the pile of unsuccessful forward signings, like Radamel Falcao and Memphis Depay.

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