Man Utd: £12m star now 'causing defenders issues' at Old Trafford | OneFootball

Manchester United striker Wout Weghorst is causing defenders a lot of issues with his link-up play, says journalist Steve Bates.

The Dutchman doesn't have the most prolific record at Old Trafford, but Bates feels he's still bringing something to the table with his overall game.

Weghorst is determined to win more silverware after claiming the Carabao Cup last month.

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"The match against Newcastle at Wembley was a great experience — a lovely atmosphere in the stadium — it has something special," the 30-year-old told United's official website before his side's 3-1 victory over Fulham in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday.

"But, like I said, that’s what we want. We want to win trophies. The one we have now just showed us that we can do it again; we are all hungry for more, all of us."

Weghorst moved to England after joining Burnley from Wolfsburg in a £12m deal last year, as reported by BBC Sport. He's currently on loan at the Red Devils after a short stint at Beşiktaş.

Bates says Weghorst is offering United some great link-up play right now, the kind of link-up play that defenders are struggling to deal with.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: "What he does give United is some good link-up play. He can drop deep, giving defenders a bit of an issue. What do they do? Do they go with him, or do they let him go deep?

"I've watched him closely. His build-up play and his link play with United's forwards and midfield players is absolutely excellent. It really is very good."

Does Wout Weghorst need to offer Man United more than good link-up play?

In the short term, probably not. As long as the likes of Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes keep scoring, you'd expect Erik ten Hag's side to accomplish their other goals for the season, which are likely to be securing Champions League qualification and winning another trophy.

However, if United want to challenge for the title next season and decide to sign Weghorst permanently, then he's going to need to be a bit more productive going forward.

His record of two goals in 18 appearances for the Red Devils, as shown on Transfermarkt, won't be good enough for a team chasing the Premier League crown, something Ten Hag will be hoping to do in the 2023/24 campaign.