Manchester United: Wout Weghorst looks back on “bizarre” times

Proud of performance in Manchester

Wout Weghorst looks back on his time at Manchester United with pride. The Dutch international moved to the “Red Devils” on loan in January 2023 and scored two goals in 31 games in six months. In order to realize the transfer, three clubs first had to come to an agreement, as the 31-year-old striker was on loan from Burnley FC to Besiktas at the time until the end of the season.

“Things were going very well at Besiktas and I felt very comfortable there,” Weghorst recalled in an interview with “De Telegraaf“. “It was already late in the evening when my advisor Simon Cziommer called me. I was already in bed and had our daughter Daantje in my arms. I answered and Simon said: ‘Wout, United want you!’ I dropped the phone and burst into tears.”

However, there was still a long way to go before the transfer was completed, as Besiktas actually wanted to keep Weghorst until the end of the season. “I don’t name any sums, but believe me when I say that I made some concessions myself to make this transfer possible,” Weghorst gave insights. In the end, Besiktas was compensated with 2.825 million euros for the early termination of the loan.

The attacker explained that he had to acclimatize quickly at United. “Looking back, it was pretty bizarre. Less than a week after arriving in Manchester, I was already in the starting line-up of one of the biggest clubs in the world and since then I have been on an express train that never stops. There was no adjustment period at all, the pressure was bizarre and the physical strain was greater than I had ever experienced. It’s only been in the last few months that I’ve felt like I’m really comfortable. Then I became myself and dared to let go of my shyness.”

For Weghorst, his time at Manchester United was very successful

Weghorst believes he may be a little too modest about his time at United. “They were very successful months in which we hardly lost. I was also very important for the team, as a passing point and a hard-working link between midfield and attack. Only my goals failed to materialize. That gnawed at me and was also the reason why I lost my regular place.”

Having only scored twice still bothers him, says Weghorst, but: “The Premier League is by far the toughest league in the world, with the best defenders. We were also rarely the dominant team and hardly created any chances. But no matter how you look at it, I would have liked to have scored a goal a lot more often.” The striker is under contract with Burnley until 2025 and is on loan for the third time in a row. At TSG Hoffenheim, Weghorst is currently the team’s third-best goalscorer with four goals in twelve games.

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