Wout Weghorst joins Manchester United on loan from Besiktas till the end of this season. Weghorst was on loan at Besiktas from Burnley. The Turkish club accepted the compensation of $2.5 million to tear up the deal, so the 30-year-old Haaland striker could join Manchester United for the second half of the season.
Weghorst had a disappointing spell at Burnley, where he scored only two goals in 20 matches as the Clarets were eliminated from the Premier League.
In the Turkish League, the 6'6" striker had a decent run, scoring eight goals and providing four assists in 16 matches played.
Weghorst’s arrival provides much-needed depth in attack for Ten Hag as his side competes on all fronts.
We will get to know more about Wout Weghorst.
Early Career
Weghorst began his football career at local club RKSV Neo DETO Twenterand before joining Eredivisie club Willem II in 2011. He never broke through to the first team and was confined to the reserves. He signed with Eerste Divisie club Emmen in 2012. Weghorst made his Eredivisie debut for Heracles Almelo.
AZ Alkmaar
After the successful season with Heracles, Weghorst signed a four-year contract with AZ in July 2016, with the option for an extra year. He scored 20 goals in 29 appearances in all competitions.
Vfl Wolfsburg
In 2018, the Dutch striker joined Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg on a four-year contract. He scored a hat trick in 2019, which was the first by any player since Mario Gotze in 2017. Over the next three seasons, he scored 42 goals.
Burnley
In the 2021/22 season, Burnley approached the Bundesliga club in the January transfer window, and they got the Dutch international for three and a half years. However, his time at Turf Moor was underwhelming, with only two goals in 20 appearances.
Besiktas
In 2022, Weghorst signed for Super Lig club Besiktas on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season. During his time there, he scored eight goals, which saw him linked to Manchester United.
Manchester United
In 2022/23, his loan deal was cut short ahead of a proposed move to Manchester United, with a $3 million deal split between Burnley and Besiktas. On January 13, he signed for Manchester United on loan.
We will see his performance while he was playing for Besiktas for 16 matches.
From the heatmap, we can see that his actions are concentrated in the attacking third and inside the box. The bright yellow spot suggests where he made most of his actions in the form of passes, shots taken, assists made, passes made, goals scored, and touches made.
Goal scoring
In the 16 matches he played, he scored eight goals. He scored once every 0.12 per match. He scored three goals with his head, two with his left, and he scored three goals with his head. Using his height to his advantage, he overpowered defenders to score headed goals. Wout took 52 shots, of which he was on target eight times. He took a shot every 3.3 matches, out of which he was on target 1.4 times per match.
From the above visualisation comparing Wout Weghorst with forwards from the Turkish Super Lig, we can see that the Dutch rank in the fourth position behind Enner Valencia, who scored the majority of goals with 13 goals.
Passes
Wout Weghorst made a total of 12.9 passes per 90, which puts him at 69%. He made 4.1 accurate passes per 90 in his own half, which puts him at 89%. In the opposition half, the Dutchman made 9.0 passes per match, which puts him at 62%. He also created three big chances for his team.
Assists
The Dutchman, along with scoring goals, created four assists. He created 0.18 assists per match, which takes him to the 72 percentile. From the above visualization, the data picked up three assists instead of four.
From the above visualisation comparing Wout Weghorst with forwards from the Turkish Super Lig, we can see that Weghorst falls in the first quadrant behind Enner Valencia, who has 13 goals and four assists to his name.
Defensive Contributions
In a successful team, a striker will be the first line of defense. Wout Weghorst has performed well defensively. Using his height, he presses the opposition when they are in transitional play. He doesn’t press aimlessly, as other strikers tend to do. From the heatmap, we can see that Weghorst has made most of his tackles in the attacking third and defensive third. He made 1.05 tackles per 90, out of which he won 0.53 per 90, which puts him in the 80 percentile. He made blocks mostly in the offensive third. He blocked shots at a rate of 0.53 per 90, which gives him a perfect 99 percentile. He uses his tall legs to intercept a pass or cross. He made most of the interceptions in the attacking third. He made 0.87 interceptions per 90, which puts him in the 87 percentile.
We can see from the above radar that Weghorst ranks 67 percentile in passes completed, 85 percentile in shots creating actions, and 89 percentile in touches made in the middle third when compared to Super Lig forwards.However, he ranks higher in his defensive side of the game, making the 86 percentile in tackles made, the 88 percentile in shots blocked, and the 87 percentile in interceptions made.
Final Verdict
Wout Weghorst will be looking to redeem himself and help the team reach the Champions League after his disastrous season with Burnley. Erik Ten Hag may start as the tall Dutch striker against Crystal Palace. It remains to be seen how he can help Manchester United until the end of the season.
