Wout Weghorst watch: Man Utd debutant flatters to deceive as Marcus Rashford issue emerges

Manchester United new boy Wout Weghorst made his debut in Wednesday night’s 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace just days after completing his surprise loan switch from Burnley

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Manchester United V Crystal Palace in pictures

Manchester United suffered a late setback as Michael Olise rescued a point for Crystal Palace with a stunning last-gasp free-kick in a dramatic 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park.

A composed strike from Bruno Fernandes on the stroke of half-time had looked like being enough to seal the points for United, who are now third in the Premier League but still eight points adrift of leaders Arsenal, before Olise’s late intervention from range.

Prior to the late drama, Erik ten Hag raised eyebrows with the decision to thrust new signing Wout Weghorst straight into the starting line-up just days after he completed his surprise loan switch from Burnley.

Here, Mirror Football breaks down his performance and takes an in-depth look at how the big striker fared against the Eagles…

Intensity

No doubt eager to make an impression, Weghorst did try and put himself about in the early stages of the match – but it was noticeable how far behind the play he was at times on the transition.

During one break towards the end of the first-half Weghorst was lagging miles behind Marcus Rashford as he drove up the pitch.

There are mitigating factors, of course: keeping up with Rashford at the best of times is no mean feat and it will take time for Weghorst to adapt to United’s approach.

But this is a player who has been playing regularly for Besiktas during the first half of the season. The onus will be on him to get up to speed – and quickly.

Aerially Wout Weghorst made his Manchester United debut against Crystal Palace (

Image:

Matthew Ashton/AMA)

On the eye, the 6ft 6in striker is very much the traditional Premier League No.9 of years gone by – but he didn’t play like one.

Weghorst wasn’t exactly head and shoulders above the Crystal Palace defence all night and failed to impose himself aerially at times. However, on one of the rare occasions he did win an aerial duel, he did almost break the deadlock with a looping header on the half hour mark.

In this area, Weghost didn’t live up to expectations but Ten Hag insisted before the match that the big striker wasn’t just in the team to win headers. And based on this evidence, the Dutchman could be spot on, as it was other aspects of Weghorst’s game which caught the eye…

Movement Weghorst celebrates United’s opener with Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen (

Image:

Matthew Ashton/AMA)

If Weghorst disappointed in the air, then he didn’t on the deck. The former Wolfsburg man showed plenty of neat touches and combined nearly with Fernandes and Luke Shaw on two occasions in the first-half to nudge United into advanced attacking positions.

United profited in other ways from Weghorst’s movement, which was probably the standout element of the striker’s performance.

The presence of Weghorst’s ample frame did, as expected, draw plenty of attention from the Palace defence and subsequently left space for others to exploit. It was his near post run which gave Fernandes the freedom of Selhurst Park to pick his spot for United’s opener.

If United can exploit that, then Weghorst could become a useful weapon in their arsenal in the coming months – even if he doesn’t bag a hatful of goals himself.

Goal threat

While Weghorst played his part in Fernandes’ winning goal, he never really looked likely to mark his United debut with a goal of his own.

After netting just twice in 20 outings during his ill-fated six-month stint with Burnley prior to the Clarets last term, Weghorst will be desperate to prove he can deliver goals in the Premier League – particularly as he has averaged almost a goal every two games during his spell at Besiktas.

In fairness, he didn’t exactly have much to feed off going forward in south London and much will depend on the service he receives going forward.

The jury is still out on whether Weghorst is capable of delivering goals on a regular basis for a club of United’s calibre. But with the likes of Rashford and Fernandes recapturing the form of years gone by, maybe he doesn’t have to.