Wout Weghorst scored his first Manchester United goal in the Red Devils’ 3-0 Carabao Cup semi-final first leg over Nottingham Forest.
Weghorst’s strike was a big moment for him, he looked very pleased with himself at half-time, and he can begin to shake off the doubters who criticised his move to the club, including fellow Dutchman Wesley Sneijder.
The striker can now feel like he belongs as part of this squad, with fans now getting a good look at him.
He has already won over his teammates, with defender Lisandro Martinez talking about the striker in his post-game interview.
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Martinez on Weghorst
Martinez was voted Sky’s man of the match and he was asked about the impact Weghorst is having on the team.
The defender said: “As a striker, he lives for the goals and I’m happy for him because he’s training very well as well.
“We need that confidence and I’m happy he scored today.”
Martinez’s comments show Weghorst is making a good impression at Carrington, and manager Erik ten Hag has had no qualms about starting him in the past three matches.
United can still do more to help the striker out. Across the last few games he has not been presented with any clear cut chances, reliant on a rebound to score his first goal.
He won’t mind how it went in, so long as it did, but it’s clear there is a lot more to come from the striker.
Martinez knows United need all their players firing on all cylinders to compete for trophies, and he is glad to see his teammate build up his confidence.
He saw first hand at the World Cup the danger Weghorst brings, when he netted twice against his Argentina in the quarter-finals.
Last night once again, the striker showed he is capable of stepping up at big moments and producing the goals.
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