Wout Weghorst stats - what will forward offer Man Utd compared to Marcus Rashford & Anthony Martial?

We take a look at where Manchester United’s new striker excels, and where there’s definite room for improvement.
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Manchester United look set to complete their second signing of the January transfer window, with Wout Weghorst expected to join on loan from Burnley.

The striker, who spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Besiktas, has experience playing the Premier League with the Clarets and is expected to join United until the end of the season for a fee of £2.5m.

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Weghorst might also be registered in time for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Manchester City, and will bring much-needed options up front for United. Anthony Martial is the club’s only recognised striker currently in the squad, and the Dutchman will provide competition for the remainder of the campaign.

But what sort of attacker are United getting? We’ve had a look over the stats and figures to find out.

Where does Weghorst excel?

First and foremost, Weghorst’s goal record is impressive, netting nine times in 18 appearances for Besiktas this season. In three and a half years at Wolfsburg, Weghorst managed to score 70 from 144 appearances, before joining Burnley last January. He also bagged 45 goals from 86 AZ Alkmaar matches, while he’s scored five times in 19 international matches.

At 6 ft 6 in, there’s a perception that Weghorst is a traditional target man - a stereotype not helped by his stint at Burnley - but the forward offers much more than that. He is excellent out of possession and had more presses per 90 minutes than any other Premier League player last season.

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In comparison with other strikers in Europe’s top league’s Weghorst also registers impressive numbers for tackles, blocks and aerial duels won, while he scores in the 92nd percentile for interceptions, as per stats website FBref.

Despite his gigantic stature, Weghorst is more similar in style to Che Adams, Michail Antonio and Ollie Watkins in the Premier League, and his signature is an indication that Ten Hag wants a higher rate of pressing from the front.

What does Weghorst lack?

While Weghorst’s impressive goal stats were listed above, there was one glaring omission from his record over recent years. The former Wolfsburg and AZ striker only managed two goals in 20 appearances for Burnley.

Weghorst failed to impress at Burnley. Credit: Getty.Weghorst failed to impress at Burnley. Credit: Getty.
Weghorst failed to impress at Burnley. Credit: Getty.

The concern for United supporters will be that Weghorst’s one scoring drought over a prolific career happened to come in the Premier League, although it’s likely he will be better suited to Ten Hag’s style than that of Sean Dyche.

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There’s also been a suggestion he clashed with his team-mates at Turf Moor, something that appeared evident after the forward and Connor Roberts exchanged words during June’s encounter between the Netherlands and Wales. The stats from FBref also suggest Weghorst struggled to get into goalscoring positions, link with team-mates and take on shots during his time in Lancashire.

How does Weghorst compare to Man Utd attackers?

Since the start of the 2020/21 season, Weghorst has managed more goals per 90 than Martial and Marcus Rashford, as well as registering a higher tally for expected goals. The Netherlands international also outstrips the pair in terms of tackles and shots blocked.

However, the United attackers far outshine Weghorst for dribbles and pass completion percentage, via numbers on FBref. The lanky centre-forward also committed twice as many fouls as Martial and Rashford, presumably due to his aerial tussles with centre-backs.

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