Ten Hag confirms plan for Weghorst at Man Utd - with or without Harry Kane

01 April 2023 , 21:30

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Ten Hag confirms plan for Weghorst at Man Utd - with or without Harry Kane

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has confirmed that on-loan striker Wout Weghorst could still be at Old Trafford next season - despite scoring just two goals.

Weghorst has made a huge impact on United’s style since Besiktas allowed the Burnley forward to return to the Premier League in January after initially taking the Dutchman away from Turf Moor for the season.

United have made Tottenham and England striker Harry Kane their No. 1 summer target - but Ten Hag admitted that he is considering also making Weghorst’s stay at the club more permanent despite his struggles in front of goal.

Asked if the 6ft 6ins international could be part of his long-term plans, the United boss said: “Of course. I think he is doing a lot of elements of football really well.

“Wout is doing a really good job for us. He is the leader of the process in pressing, he starts the press and is very good in backward pressing. He is also taking up (good) positions and in his link-up play he's doing really well.

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“He is making good movements, making space for others, so he's also good in set-plays. He is really contributing to this team. I think after Christmas we have played 25 games and we lost two - and Weghorst played almost all of the games so he is really part of the success.”

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Wout Weghorst has only scored twice since arriving in January (Getty Images)

Weghorst, 30, still has more than two years left on the contract he signed when he arrived at Turf Moor in a £12 million deal from Wolfsburg in January 2022. The Clarets wanted him off the wage bill following their relegation from the Premier League last season.

But he caught the eye playing for Holland at the World Cup and has become a cult hero at Old Trafford thanks to the fiercely-competitive attitude that saw him clash with Lionel Messi in Qatar.

Simon Mullock