Wout Weghorst is officially a Manchester United player.
The towering centre forward has joined the Red Devils on loan until the end of the current season, after which he will return to Burnley – there is no option to buy.
Weghorst spent the first half of the season on loan with Turkish side Besiktas, who will be compensated around £2.7m for the early termination of his contract there.
He had been in fine form in Turkey, scoring eight goals and providing four assists in sixteen matches in the Super Lig.
United’s priority during the January transfer window had been to bring in a striker to reinforce Erik ten Hag’s threadbare attacking options.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s early termination in the run up to the Qatar World Cup had left Anthony Martial – a player whose season has thus far been marred with injuries – as the senior side’s only recognised centre forward.
In Weghorst, United will hope to have replaced the Portuguese with a player far more suited to Ten Hag’s preferred style of play, even as a stop gap.
As outlined by The Peoples Person, the former Wolfsburg forward has a fierce will to win that will offer aggressive pressing and desire to the United team.
At 6’6”, he will also offer an aerial presence absent from the current set of options in the Red Devils’ forward line.
Given that Ten Hag had to resort to using Harry Maguire upfront in United’s last Europa League match against Real Sociedad, that is sure to come in handy.
Unfortunately, that usefulness will not be available tomorrow, with the player not registered in time to feature in the Manchester derby.
While he would have been highly unlikely to start in the match against Man City anyway, he could have provided an option from the bench. At the very least, his inclusion in the squad may have given Pep Guardiola something else to think about.
It’s official: Wout Weghorst is a Red! ✍️🔴#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 13, 2023
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