ERIK TEN HAG is considering ditching Wout Weghorst for their return league fixture against Leeds after another underwhelming performance from the on-loan Dutch striker.
Weghorst has scored just once in his seven games since Manchester United bought him out of his loan at Besiktas to fill a goals gap for the Red Devils.
But he is not filling any gap at the moment, certainly not in the opponents’ area with not even an assist to add to that sole strike away to Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup.
The 30-year-old’s stats from Wednesday night’s 2-2 draw with Leeds on Manchester United’s own website hardly backed the case for him continuing upfront.
He had just one touch in the opposition’s box which is credited with creating a chance.
Of the four “duels” he was involved in he lost out in two and only had four successful passes in the final third, where he was brought in to wreak havoc.
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There could be a reason why Burnley decided their £12million investment in him in January of last year was not money well spent.
The 6ft 6in frontman scored twice in 20 Premier League games as the Clarets went down and was farmed out to Besiktas in the summer.
He scored eight in 16 league games for them, which may say more about the Turkish league than anything else.
There were those two late strikes for Holland after coming on as sub in their World Cup quarter-final with Argentina.
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But since arriving at Old Trafford he has offered little.
There was the goal at Forest when he followed up Antony’s parried shot.
He hit the post with a header in the return leg, and… well that’s about it.
In all competitions for United, Weghorst averages just 1.4 shots and fewer than four touches in the opposition box per game.
For a big man he has won just nine of his 20 aerial duels.
Ten Hag meanwhile has a forward in Marcus Rashford at the very top of his form.
Rashford now has 12 in 14 games since returning from the World Cup to go with the three he got in Qatar. It’s 23 for the season in all for club and country.
The United boss said: “He has unbelievable focus at this moment. He is in such a flow, he brings it to every game on the pitch. If he has that energy, those levels, he will score goals.”
When in-form Rashford is moved into the middle United look far more potent despite his own goalscoring exploits from a position on the left.
Twice in successive games, Weghorst has been subbed in the 59th minute to enable Rashford to move into the middle and both times the England international scored with a header just three minutes later.
Meanwhile, Jadon Sancho is back with his confidence restored following his equaliser on Wednesday.
So, far better to put Rashford in the middle with Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho on either side of him rather than the static Weghorst.
Sancho’s return in his first league action since October certainly pleased his manager and team-mates.
He had been sidelined with what the boss cited as physical and mental issues, and Ten Hag has carefully managed him back.
Stand-in captain Bruno Fernandes said: “Jadon is getting back, he’s getting his minutes, and got his goal.
“It will hopefully be a big boost for him and for us for the rest of the season because we need everyone at their best.”
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Ten Hag’s side has won just one of their last four league games, shipping seven points and face Leeds again at Elland Road on Sunday.
But Fernandes said: “With the character we have in this team, the passion, the desire, the togetherness… we’re not afraid to go anywhere to play against whatever opponent it is.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
