‘Annoying’ Wout Weghorst gives energy to the rest of the team, says Dutch pundit

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Manchester United loan striker Wout Weghorst has been labelled ‘annoying’ in a positive way by a Dutch football pundit.

Wout Weghorst is currently on international duty with Netherlands and featured for them in their first Euro 2024 qualifier.

There was little Weghorst could do as a Kylian Mbappe inspired France beat them 4-0 on Friday night.

An easier follow-up game is ahead, with Netherlands set to face minnows Gibraltar at home tonight.

• READ: Manchester United’s next nine fixtures after the international break

Weghorst sets the tone

There is some debate in the Netherlands over who should start up front. Weghorst began the game against France on the bench but came on in the 33rd minute as a replacement for midfielder Kenneth Taylor.

By this time France were already 3-0 up. The tactical switch and Weghorst’s hard work helped to stabilise Netherlands’ performance.

Former Ajax defender Hedwiges Maduro believes Weghorst’s work rate is important to set the tone for the team.

He was quoted by Soccer News telling ESPN: “Weghorst is someone who is completely fit. He is annoying in defending and pressing. 

“That gives a kind of energy to the rest, I think.”

These are the traits which have appealed to Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, and negated a lack of goals in his Red Devils career to date.

Weghorst has only scored twice, yet he has started every single game he has been available for since joining the club on loan in the January transfer window.

Speaking at a press conference, Dutch boss Ronald Koeman said he was ‘certainly’ considering starting Weghorst up front along with Memphis Depay against Gibraltar.

He added, via NU.nl: “The first step is winning. And step two is scoring a lot. I think we should do everything we can from minute 1 to minute 97 to score as many goals as possible.”

From a Manchester United perspective, it would be nice for Weghorst to get a rest. He has not had a break since he joined.

But if the forward can boost his confidence with a hat-trick against Gibraltar, or even just one goal, it could be helpful to helping him hit the ground running when the Premier League resumes next Sunday.