Erik ten Hag, the manager of Man United, unexpectedly signed Burnley striker on loan in January. Since then, he has struggled as he has failed to score in 13 league appearances.
Wout Weghorst’s lack of goals since joining Man United in January has angered manager Erik ten Hag, who will not be offering him a permanent contract at Old Trafford.
Despite his impressive World Cup cameo, in which he scored twice in a quarterfinal loss to Argentina, eyebrows were raised when the Dutch striker joined on loan. The 30-year-old, however, has had trouble making an impression at United despite being billed as Cristiano Ronaldo’s temporary replacement.
He did start their League Cup victory over Newcastle in February, earning his first senior distinction in the process. But in 26 appearances across all competitions, the former Wolfsburg player has only scored twice, and neither of those goals came in the Premier League.
Erik ten Hag made it clear that Man Utd needs to address their terrible problem for the upcoming season.After deciding that he is not the answer to United’s lack of options up front, Ten Hag will reportedly release the forward and return him to his parent club, according to the Manchester Evening News. Leaving the striker’s own future to be very much in the balance.
Weghorst, who had previously moved to the Clarets from Germany ahead of the 2021/22 season, managed just two goals before being sent out on loan to Besiktas for the early part of this season, before United came calling. He still has one year left on his Burnley contract, but it’s unclear whether new manager Vincent Kompany would be interested in bringing him back as he looks to bolster his team following promotion to the Premier League.
This summer, Ten Hag’s desperate search for a striker has been made abundantly clear by the public courtship of Harry Kane by United. The United hierarchy, however, is hesitant to shell out more than £80 million for the England captain, a position that could change depending on how the ongoing takeover dispute plays out.
Ten Hag’s team was eliminated from the Europa League by Sevilla 5-2 on aggregate in recent weeks, and his squad was beset by injuries and a suspension for the second leg. This made it clear to Ten Hag that he needed reinforcements. And on Thursday, the Red Devils’ 1-0 loss at Brighton prevented them from making a significant advancement toward Champions League qualification.
Ten Hag was incensed by his team’s lack of offensive prowess, and his rage was furthered when Luke Shaw gave away a handball penalty in stoppage time that Mac Allister converted into the top corner. “We have to be more clinical on our chances we produced in the first half,” Ten Hag raged after the game.
