Wait what, Wout Weghorst?
That was probably most people’s response when they first heard Wout Weghorst might join Manchester United on loan soon.
People expected João Felix, Osimhen or some Brazilian wonderkid. Not ‘Wout Wappie’ (English: ‘Wacky Wout’) the Burnley reject.
So what is it? Is Weghorst the ideal Ten Hag-striker or something?
Those who watched Ajax last season might think so. Back then, the Amsterdam based outfit played with Ivorian striker Sébastien Haller up top. On the surface, Weghorst and Haller are similar: both are quite tall, both like receiving the ball from wider areas, both usually function as classic no. 9s. They’re ‘target men’, if you will.
But Haller only played at Ajax for one year (scoring 32 goals in 50 games, including seven in consecutive Champions League matches, the first player to ever do so). And before his arrival, Ten Hag played with a multitude of strikers up front, who were asked to perform a myriad of roles.
During Ajax’s successful 2018/19 season, for example, Dusan Tadic played as a false 9. Later, Ten Hag used strikers like Brian Brobbey, who likes running at defenders with the ball at his feet a lot more, and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who is pretty allround.
In short, Ten Hag never preferred a certain type of striker over another. He generally likes playing with whatever striker is the best fit for the team he’s putting together.
In 2018/19, that was Tadic, who would often withdraw from the No. 9 position to make space for a rampaging David Neres and a free roaming Hakim Ziyech. In 2021/22, that was Haller, the perfect end station for the assists provided by Tadic, who had been moved to the left flank where he often cut inside to make space for an overlapping Daley Blind, who in turn…
You get the point. Ten Hag put together several Ajax teams, and they were all puzzles that neatly fitted together.
Now, is Wout Weghorst the one piece of the puzzle Ten Hag is missing at United?
Obviously not. But he is a piece nonetheless. And he could be the right piece for certain puzzles United could face during the remainder of this season.
Look at the Dutch national team’s 2-2 draw against Argentina in normal time of the quarter-final of the World Cup last month for an idea of what that puzzle might look like.
Although the Dutch didn’t win in the end, that game must have brought up memories for United fans.
Pretty sweet memories.
And that alone makes it worth it.
P.s. it’s pronounced ‘Wowt Wegggggghorst’. With the guttural gggggggg.