Amidst reports that Manchester United are considering a short-term loan move for Dutch striker Wout Weghorst, we take a look at five stats that are sure to exite United fans. Following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Premier League side look a little light of options up front, so a move for Weghorst makes sense. The towering frontman is currently on loan at Turkish Super Lig side Besiktas from Championship leaders Burnley, but it could be that Weghorst ends the month at Old Trafford.
He was Netherlands' super-sub in Qatar
Would you believe that the World Cup final was less than a month ago? It certainly feels like longer. Lionel Messi inspired Argentina to glory, but things could have been so different for La Albiceleste. In the quarter-finals, Argentina played out a feisty affair with the Netherlands, and it seemed as though Lionel Scaloni's side were destined for a semi-final spot as they entered the dying embers with a two-goal advantage.
Wout Weghorst, though, had other ideas. The 30-year-old came on with 12 minutes to play and netted twice, including 10 minutes into second half injury time as he tucked past Emiliano Martinez following a well-worked free-kick. Argentina may have beaten the Netherland on penalties, but Weghorst's impact gave the Oranje a fighting chance of progressing to the next round with his brace contributing towards a WhoScored rating of 8.73, that the best by a sub at the 2022 World Cup.
Weghorst has impressed in Turkey
There are a host of former Premier League players plying their trade in the Turkish Super Lig. At Besiktas alone, Weghorst is joined by Arthur Masuaku, Dele Alli, Romain Saiss and Nathan Redmond, to name four, all of whom have experience in England's top tier. However, while Besiktas are struggling, labouring down in fifth spot, seven points behind rivals Galatasaray in first, Weghorst has impressed.
Only Enner Valencia (7.52) and Fabio Borini (7.46) - two more former Premier League stars - have earned better WhoScored ratings than Weghorst (7.34) in the Turkish top flight this season, with the Dutchman returning to league duties in good form having scored two goals in three outings.
📈 Top rated players in the Turkish Super Lig this season:
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) January 8, 2023
🥇 Enner Valencia - 7.52
🥈 Fabio Borini - 7.46
🥉 𝗪𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗪𝗲𝗴𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁 - 𝟳.𝟯𝟰
👀 Could Weghorst be a Manchester United player by the time the January transfer window closes?
There is more to his game than just goals
The minimum requirement for a striker is to put the ball in the back of the net. Weghorst struggled in the Premier League with Burnley, netting just twice in his 20 outings, but the Netherlands international has had no such issues in the Super Lig, scoring eight times in 16 league outings, a return of a goal every other game.
However, there is more to his game than just goals. Weghorst also ranks fourth for assists in the Super Lig this season, having provided four assists, those coming at the start of the season to help Besiktas to an additional five points. As such, only Valencia (17) and Borini (15) have been directly involved in more league goals than Weghorst (12) in 2022/23. With the raft of attacking talent in support of the frontman at Manchester United, this should be a boost.
He's confident in his ability to go for goal
Confidence is key for any striker. If they are firing on all cylinders, they believe they can score every time they step out onto the pitch, and this is translated well in the number of shots they take. Take former United man Ronaldo for example, he exuded confidence, and routinely chanced his luck against opponents.
Weghorst is similar in that regard in that he is regularly willing to go for goal. Indeed, no player has had more shots than Weghorst (52) in the Turkish Super Lig this season and while this means he has returned a conversion rate of 15.4%, for a United side that averages the fourth most key passes per game (11.5) in the Premier League, the frontman won't be short of chances to hit the back of the net.
He'll offer United an alternative route to goal
Of the eight league goals Weghorst has scored this season, three have been headers; only Haji Wright (4) has scored more. Standing at 6ft 6in, you'd expect Weghorst to get on the end of crosses with ease to get the better of opponents, and he does do this to a good standard. United, though, don't actually offer much in the way of crosses as other Premier League sides.
A return of 13.9 crosses per game is the fourth lowest in England's top tier this term, and while United have developed statistically calculated WhoScored strengths of 'creating goalscoring chances' and 'attacking down the wings', they don't put the ball into the box all too often. With Weghorst, they would at least have an alternative route to goal to maximise should United, who have only scored three headed goals this season, be struggling to break down opponents.
