MANCHESTER UNITED need a striker. That much is clear after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and Erik ten Hag has publicly admitted so. “We have a good team when all the players are available,” he said, “but with many games coming up, I think there is a need [for a striker].” That striker could come this month in the form of Wout Weghorst.
Recent reports claim United are interested in signing Weghorst on loan until the end of the season. Still on Burnley’s books, the 30-year-old has spent the first half of this season on loan at Besiktas, but Weghorst is now apparently determined to push through a move to Old Trafford in the January window.
Weghorst could feasibly fill a hole in Manchester United’s squad. The Netherlands international is an attacking focal point and that’s something ten Hag currently lacks. Weghorst is strong in the air, can hold up the ball and bring others into play. The Dutchman is also better in possession than many give him credit for.
There’s good reason to believe Weghorst would be an effective short-term solution for United and yet his arrival at Old Trafford would highlight just how badly run the club is. After all, this isn’t the first time Manchester United have entered the January transfer window desperate for a striker, any striker.
Happy birthday to the wonderfully named Wout Weghorst.
The 6’6” unit has a penchant for bullying defenders and burying headers, but every now and again he is fond of a facile finessed finish.
— These Football Times (@thesefootytimes) August 7, 2021
It was only three years ago that United signed Odion Ighalo to be an emergency solution to a clear deficiency in the number nine position. This was only a matter of months before Edinson Cavani was signed as another short-term solution and only 18 months before Cristiano Ronaldo joined at the age of 36.
In fact, Romelu Lukaku was the last striker under the age of 30 to join Manchester United and five-and-a-half years have now passed since the Belgian pitched up at Old Trafford. In that same timeframe, Arsenal (Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang), Chelsea (Lukaku, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner), Liverpool (Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota) and Manchester City (Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, Ferran Torres) have all invested significant sums in the same position.
Manchester United’s scattergun recruitment of the Glazers era is most acutely represented in their current number nine ranks. Anthony Martial has demonstrated his suitability as a centre forward in ten Hag’s system, but only to a certain extent. Marcus Rashford can play through the middle, but is more comfortable and effective on the left wing. Christian Eriksen started United’s first match of the season as a ‘false nine,’ but that experimented ended quickly.
Old Trafford has been home to countless world-class strikers over the years. Eric Cantona, Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Andy Cole, Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez and Robin van Persie all played for Manchester United in the Premier League era, but their team is currently lacking the cutting edge required to truly develop under ten Hag.
The lack of an elite level centre forward will limit what United can achieve under their new manager. Ten Hag has put in place the foundations of what could be a strong team since his appointment last summer, but there’s only so high Manchester United can rise when they are missing such an important player.
Weghorst’s loan signing would help the bridge the gap between now and the summer window, when United could move for someone like Victor Osimhen or even Harry Kane, but with the Glazers intent on selling the club there’s no guarantee funds for such a transfer would be available. Weghorst might be just another name in an increasingly long list of short-term solutions that never help Manchester United get anywhere in the long-term.
