Manchester United legend Paul Parker has backed the speculated move for striker Wout Weghorst, saying the Dutchman can provide something Erik ten Hag’s team are currently ‘missing’.
Ten Hag is said to be keen to bring in a striker in the January window but the difficulty of the window has left his options bare; one name mentioned is Joao Felix of Atletico Madrid, while Weghorst, currently on loan at Besiktas from Burnley, is the other, more likely option, due to the financial package being more affordable.
The identity of Weghorst’s parent club has some questioning the logic of the move, this in spite of a strong showing for Holland in the World Cup quarter final against Argentina.
Parker, however, believes that Weghorst could have the qualities to add an extra dimension to what Ten Hag is building at Old Trafford.
“He’s got good presence and good technical ability, but people are trying to be negative, saying he was at Burnley so he can’t be that good, especially because he was allowed to go on loan,” Parker said this morning, exclusively on the Talking Devils podcast. “Maybe it was down to the player, who didn’t want to be playing in the Championship. Does that make him a bad person? Maybe a little shallow but footballers are when they get a taste of the good life.”
Parker was full of praise for Ten Hag’s major decisions, including his transfers, and feels that vindication has earned him the right to make the call.
“I look at the manager and you can’t fault him with the decisions he’s made on every player he’s brought in so far,” he says. “You have to give him this and say that there is a method behind what he wants to do. He wants a focal point in the attack. If he’s good enough for Van Gaal, he’s telling himself, he’s good enough for me. The one thing United are missing is a focal point, a player to play off that you know they’re trying to use. Could he make a difference to Marcus Rashford? Yes because there’s someone to play into and run off. If he’s contesting balls in the air it enables a player to take a gamble and make a run.”
Paul was speaking on the Talking Devils podcast as he does every Monday morning. In previewing the Manchester derby, he explains he feels more confident going into the game than he has for years, in terms of United’s stability.
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