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Manchester United striker Wout Weghorst has been unfairly criticised in England and is a better player than he is given credit for.

That’s according to Kenneth Perez, who has defended the Netherlands striker despite his underwhelming performances for Manchester United this season.

The striker joined United on loan from Burnley in the January transfer window after an impressive showing at the World Cup, including a double in the clash with Argentina.

He cut short a loan spell at Besiktas to make the move to Old Trafford as a stop-gap replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, whose contract had been terminated before the tournament in Qatar.

The hope was that the 30-year-old could make some sort of contribution in the run in to the end of the season but that did not happen, with him managing just two goals and three assists in 31 games in all competitions.

That record, and his performances in general, have seen him heavily criticised by fans and pundits alike, all of whom insist he is not good enough to be playing for Manchester United.

Perez agrees on that front but insists some of the criticism has been overly harsh and Weghorst is a better player than he is given credit for.

“I find them rather harsh in England,” he told Voetbalpraat, relayed by Soccer News.

“We get the reputation that we are a bit harsh. I have also been outspoken about Weghorst, but they say that he may have chosen the wrong sport.

“That’s pretty harsh. The sport of football is of course not only Manchester United, also AZ, Besiktas… He did a great job there.

“It is of course very painful for him that he has scored zero goals (in the league). And we’ve talked about it before, but of course he doesn’t look good in a Manchester United shirt, (with) his limited technique and all his other limitations.”