Burnley's loanee Wout Weghorst has thrown a jibe at Anthony Martial while explaining Erik Ten Hag's statements when they met to discuss his potential move to Old Trafford.
Although, Wout Weghorst knew he was going to be a backup player at Old Trafford but the 30 year old has admitted that he is surprised by the amount of game times he has gotten under his belt within the first three months of playing at Man United.
Wout Weghorst made the joke in reference to his teammate, whose absence had given the Dutchman more playing time. Weghorst joined United in January on a loan from Burnley, and under Erik ten Hag, he has played 18 straight games.
Detailing how his United move came about in an interview with the Mirror, Weghorst said: “All Ten Hag said was that he needed a striker who could fit into his way of playing."
"He certainly did not paint the picture as it is now. Anthony Martial was his striker and he was doing fine – but he is injury-prone and the manager wanted all positions double-staffed," he explained.
"Ten Hag did say clearly ‘It is up to you. You can force things and the best one plays.’ My dream has always been to get the most out of my career. To tap my ceiling. It makes me incredibly proud and happy.”
Wout Weghorst has an incredible injury record in his playing career, he has missed just seven matches as a player and it all came in 2021 when he contacted COVID-19 virus while for Bundesliga side Wolfsburg.
"It’s bizarre, really. What I always say: a lot is also determined in the head. At this level, you can no longer start every game fully recovered. So it also requires a lot of mental strength and mental resilience.”
The Burnley loanee then indicated that Erik Ten Hag wanted to play him as a number 10 during the Red Devils clash with Fulham in the Emirates Cup quarter finals.
"The manager told me at half-time in the away game at Fulham that he was considering the option of playing me as a 10, behind Rashford," he said, in quotes carried by the Mirror.
"He told me just to take his plan into account because Ten Hag is a manager who places a lot of value on task-conscious play."
The manager then told me I had to do my share of defensive work in the role. I am a team player, so I replied "That's no problem at all, boss".'
Weghorst also reflected on his goal scoring stats not revealing the whole story of his time at United, as he added: "Sometimes I think I am doing really well - but then I remember I am still only on two goals."
"That's also how everyone looks at football. I try to teach my children to look at other aspects than just goals - and that works for me as well."
"I prefer to look at what is positive. When I scored my first goal at Nottingham Forest I said in an interview I can't wait for my first goal in a home game in front of our fans. That took another few games, but it was a big moment for me," he stated.
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