Wout Weghorst shows why he should be a Plan B rather than a mainstay

T here were many reasons why Wout Weghorst was signed on loan from Burnley in January. The three key justifications were that Erik ten Hag knew all about his compatriot, there were limited options in the market and he would give absolutely everything to prove he is worthy of being a Manchester United player.

Weghorst is completely different to everyone else in United’s attacking arsenal. Unfortunately, his attributes are not always compatible with the style of play Ten Hag instilled prior to the World Cup. Against Real Betis Weghorst, like his colleagues, showed desire to make up for the 7-0 humiliation against Liverpool, with the Dutchman requiring a touch more forgiveness for tapping the “This Is Anfield” sign.

After plenty of toil, Weghorst got his reward by pummeling in a rebound from six yards. Scott McTominay shot and Weghorst was waiting when Claudio Bravo palmed it into his direction. It meant everything to the Dutchman, who slid on his knees and was emotional while being surrounded immediately by his teammates and eventually taking a moment of solitude to absorb his first goal at Old Trafford. He is relatively surprised to be a United player and is doing everything in his power to look as if he deserves this opportunity. It was only his second goal in 15 matches for United, an underwhelming record, so it was a glorious relief to double his tally.

The effort and energy was there in the early stages, although confidence had obviously taken a knock. Weghorst led the charge to close down the Betis defence at every opportunity, flanked by Marcus Rashford and Antony. When the England forward struck his 26th goal of the season and gave his now customary point to the head to celebrate his mental fortitude, many