Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has insisted Wout Weghorst is not a panic buy, and is instead a player he has followed throughout his career.
Weghorst completed a move to Manchester United yesterday, signing on loan from Burnley until the end of the season after terminating a loan deal at Besiktas.
He had joined the Turkish side from Burnley in the summer after a disappointing spell with the Clarets at the end of last season in which he managed just two goals in 20 appearances in all competitions.
That was a far cry from his form at previous club Wolfsburg, where he managed 70 goals in 133 games for the German club over a four-year spell.
He went someway to rediscovering his goalscoring form in Turkey and bagged two for the Netherlands in the World Cup quarter-final defeat to Argentina.
That put his name back on the radar and he’s ended up at Manchester United, who were on the hunt for a striker following Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure.
The move has been questioned in some quarters given Weghorst’s struggles in England last year but Ten Hag believes that is unfair.
“I have been following him for a long time, all through his career. I have known him since he was 16-years-old and everywhere he has been he has surprised. Yes, of course he is a player I have been scouting.
“He has shown at all his club that he could add something or strengthen something. He has an incredible mentality. Even defensively he can add value to a team.”
🗣️ Ten Hag over de komst van Wout Weghorst:
"Ik volg hem al heel lang. Overal waar hij is geweest heeft hij verrast. Hij heeft een ongelofelijk vechtmentaliteit."#ViaplaySportNL #ViaplayVoetbal pic.twitter.com/FNRmkhoHJK
— Viaplay Sport Nederland (@viaplaysportnl) January 14, 2023
