Manchester United striker Wout Weghorst has been praised by former coach John van den Brom, who believes that the forward deserves praise for making what he has of his career.
Van den Brom has been speaking to Voetbal Nieuws, relayed by Soccer News, about the Dutch striker, who he worked alongside earlier in his career.
Weghorst made 86 appearances under Van den Brom, scoring 45 and assisting 13 during a spell together at AZ Alkmaar.
It means he knows all about the giant striker, who currently finds himself trying to rediscover his goalscoring form while on loan at Manchester United.
He joined them from Burnley in the January transfer window in something of a surprise move, with Erik ten Hag bringing him in to temporarily fill the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure.
That move was questioned by many, with the prevalent feeling being that Weghorst was not good enough to play for the Red Devils after a disappointing spell in England with Burnley last season.
He has, though, made an impact in his 20 games so far, with a tally of two goals and three assists not accurately reflecting the work he has been doing so far.
What cannot be questioned is his commitment and effort to make the loan work out, and Van den Brom believes that work ethic deserves praise.
“Believe me, he didn’t expect that either. I think Wout is also honest enough to admit that,” he said.
“We must not forget that if you always keep working on yourself and keep investing in your career, both on and off the field, you will see that it can lead somewhere. He got the most out of it every day.
“There are plenty of players with more talent or quality who don’t get the most out of it. Wout knows very well what he can do and also what he is less good at.
“He tries to disguise this by always working hard. As a result, he always remains upright with his mentality. I have a lot of respect for him.
“Wout is still the same. I messaged him after his transfer to Manchester United. He responded right away. Those are nice things.
“A lot of the players I’ve worked with have turned out well. You know what they did for it. Some players have exceptional talent, but I no longer believe in talent alone. You have to do more for it.”
