Ten Hag's ruthless Man Utd stance vindicated as booed star attracts no offers

24 July 2023 , 09:23

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Ten Hag's ruthless Man Utd stance vindicated as booed star attracts no offers

Erik ten Hag decided that Wout Weghorst didn't have a long-term future at Manchester United and life for the Dutchman is by no means easier at Burnley.

The striker, signed back in January as the Red Devils sought a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, finds himself in no mans land having been booed by sections of the Burnley faithful in a pre-season friendly after returning to the Clarets after two loan spells last term.

Ten Hag continued to defend Weghorst publicly as the forward struggled to find the net despite playing regularly in a top four side. From the outside though it was long accepted that the 30-year-old, who has scored twice in 37 Premier League outings, wasn't up to United's standard.

The United boss has shown himself more than capable of making brutal decisions which some of his predecessors have tip-toed around. Harry Maguire has been marginalised and stripped of the captaincy, David de Gea moved on and Ronaldo ushered towards the exit door.

Weghorst is the latest player, albeit they only had him on loan, to be denied a long-term future in Manchester. And so back to Burnley he goes but it seems as though the Championship winners are open to his sale at the right price - should a bid come their way.

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As of yet that hasn't happened, with a loan move also a possibility. Burnley want to maximise their returns on the £12.5m they spent on Weghorst, according to the Athletic. Vincent Kompany utilised the tall forward in their pre-season clash with Genk, which saw him booed onto the pitch and then his later touches jeered by sections of the Burnley fans.

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Tom Whittaker, who is an analyst for Burnley fan channel No Nay Never, said: "Weghorst came on and there was booing and some derogatory chants in the away end. But there was also some applause and people trying to drown out the boos. It was a mixed reception. I think from what we've seen online, there's a lot of mixed opinions."

A return to Turkey, where he previously played and impressed with Besiktas is a possibility - he scored nine times in 18 outings last term. Bayer Leverkusen could bring him back to Germany - Weghorst enjoyed the most prolific spell of his career in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg.

Burnley fans may struggle to welcome back a man who, it has emerged, had a verbal agreement with owner and chairman Alan Pace that if the Clarets were relegated he would be allowed to leave. That exit was only on loan and Weghorst is now in limbo regarding his next move.

Samuel Meade