“I find them rather hard in England” - Pundit claims Manchester United star has been overly criticized by British media this season
Former Denmark footballer Kenneth Perez has hit out at English media for their treatment of Manchester United star Wout Weghorst. He believes that the Dutchman has been over-criticized and that asking him to pick a different spot was a step too far.
Weghorst joined Manchester United in January on loan from Burnley as Erik ten Hag wanted a striker added to his squad. However, things did not go as planned for the Dutchman, and he finished with two goals – one each in the Europa League and Carabao Cup – in 31 matches for the Red Devils.
Speaking to SoccerNews, Perez claimed it was harsh for the English media to attack Weghrst the way they did. He said:
“I find them rather hard in England. We get the reputation that we are a bit hard. I have also been outspoken about Weghorst, but they say that he may have chosen the wrong sport.”
He added that the striker would be disappointed to have not scored in the league and added:
“It is of course very painful for him that he has scored zero goals (in the Premier League). And we've talked about it before, but of course it doesn't look good in a Manchester United shirt, his limited technique and all his other limitations."
Weghorst played 17 matches in the league and could not find the back of the net.
Manchester United was blasted by Rio Ferdinand for Weghoerst's decision
Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand has been vocal about Erik ten Hag's decisions and has often praised him for his innovative moves. The English legend also backed the manager over his friend Cristiano Ronaldo in the saga while talking on his YouTube channel.
However, the former English defender was furious with the Dutchman's decision to play Wout Weghorst as a #10. He claimed that Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho, and Anthony Martial were better options than the Dutchman. He said on BT Sport:
"I just think Man Utd’s No.10, a top team's No.10 doesn’t look like a Weghorst in my eyes. Let’s look at it another way, if I’m [Jadon] Sancho, Bruno [Fernandes], [Alejandro] Garnacho, Martial and I’m sitting there watching him line-up as a no.10 in front of me, the no.10 shirt means something else, it’s a player that can create, has got guile, can get between the lines and get on the half turn and bring other people into play in that sense and get goals. He doesn’t offer all those things I’ve just said there... I think his best piece of play today was a tackle in his own box. That’s a no.10 – that’s not what no.10s are known for doing."
However, talkSPORT has reported that Weghorst can remain in the Premier League even if Burnley decides to sell him. Everton is interested in the Dutchman, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin missing a lot of matches due to injuries. Turkish sides also remain interested in the forward as per the same report.