Erik ten Hag explained his decision to drop Wout Weghorst for the first time during Manchester United’s league win over Brentford on Wednesday.
- Red Devils beat Brentford 1-0
- Dutch striker omitted from starting xi
- Instead chose to start with Sancho
WHAT HAPPENED? The Dutch striker was left out of the lineup as the Red Devils secured a narrow victory over the Bees at home, with Marcus Rashford scoring the solitary goal of the match. Weghorst has come under fire for his underwhelming performances since he joined United in a loan deal from Burnley in January and a section of the fans was relieved to see Jadon Sancho taking his place on the pitch on Wednesday.
WHAT THEY SAID: Ten Hag later revealed that it was a tactical tweak, and THAT the decision was taken to make the most of the England international’s creativity in the final third, telling told MUTV: “Creativity [is the reason why]. Jadon has made good progress since he came back. You know he can play the final pass, he can make action one-on-one, he can move in behind and score a goal, so that’s the reason why.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Weghorst has scored just two goals for United in 19 appearances and is yet to find the net in the Premier League. His string of poor performances in front of goal has raised doubts over his credentials as a long-term option with Rashford doing most of the heavy lifting.
WHAT NEXT? Weghorst will hope that he is reinstated to the stating XI when Manchester United host Everton on Saturday in the Premier League.
Source: goal.com
