Wout Weghorst continued to prove his worth to Man United, with an excellent Carabao Cup final display.
Back in January, when Anthony Martial picked up yet another injury problem, Manchester United fans were left concerned with their striker situation.
Outside of Marcus Rashford, the Old Trafford club had no forwards playing with any sort of reliability. It felt like this would be Erik ten Hag’s achilles heel during a stunning start to life at the Theatre of Dreams.
Several names were courted in the January transfer window, though one seemed to stand out more than most; Wout Weghorst.
No sooner had United been linked with the Dutch striker, he was doing his part, telling Besiktas he wanted to leave. He was desperate to force this move through, in order to secure the opportunity of a lifetime.
From minute one, Weghorst just looked delighted to be here. I’ll be honest, I was somewhat sceptical at the time. After all, he somewhat struggled at Burnley the year prior.
Fast-forward about a month. Weghorst has started every single game for United since making the move to Manchester. There have been some huge matches over that period, too.
The 30-year-old United star topped it off, proving his worth as the Reds’ unsung hero in the 2-0 victory over Newcastle United. Nobody wanted it more. Nobody worked harder. Nobody could match his desire, drive and determination. Sadly, all that was missing was a goal.
Weghorst’s hold-up play helped United out from some tricky situations when Newcastle United were firmly on top. It was his sublime work that effectively killed the game off when United made it two. He shrugged off his marker and played the ball perfectly into Marcus Rashford’s path, sending the United end into jubilant celebrations.
But for an excellent Karius save, Weghorst would have had another special cup final moment. When outside the area, he turned, swivelled and hit the ball perfectly into the top corner, only to be denied by a piece of brilliance by the keeper.
More than anything, Weghorst proved his reliability yet again. You’re always going to get a minimum 6/10 performance from a man who works so hard and consistently leads the press. Take his goals and assists out of it. He’s still a focal point for this young United side – and I was so pleased for him when he lifted that trophy aloft.
This was Weghorst’s third final as a professional. He’d lost the first two. At full-time, you could see what it meant. The striker took a moment crouched down in front of the United fans just to drink it all in. A dream had finally been realised. Nobody deserved it more than him on the day.
You also have to love the mentality. In an interview after the game, Weghorst pointed to the fact that United still have three more trophies on offer. He no doubt enjoyed himself last night, but now, he’s ready to go again. Now if he can start scoring goals with regularity, we may be in serious business…
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