Manchester United made their first signing of this transfer window with the completion of a loan move for Dutch striker, Wout Werghost. There is no doubt that this was a deal completed to help Manchester United push for a place in the top four.
Forget the poor output in the colours of Burnley, Werghoust is a decent striker. He has scored 170 club goals in 407 appearances, he is surely a goal threat.
Werghoust was brought in to ease the goal-scoring burden on Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Anthony but he offers something that Man United doesn’t have at the moment. This is a threat at set pieces, that is a goal threat from corners and free kicks.
The Red Devils have struggled to score from set pieces in the past few seasons. They have failed to hit double figures of goals from set pieces since the 2018/2019 season. This season, they have scored just two goals from set pieces.
With Werghoust, this might likely change. The tall Dutch striker has scored 35-headed goals in his career which is more than that of any Man United player at the moment. With the perfect delivery, Werghoust gives United a real goal threat during set pieces.
The former Wolfsburg striker also offers Erik Ten Haag a plan B. On days when his first first-choice forwards are struggling to run behind defences, he can call upon Werghoust to go more direct with crosses into the box.
This is a role Werghoust performed for the Netherlands at the just concluded World cup. This was noticeable when he came on as a substitute to help the Dutch recover from a two-goal deficit against Argentina in the Quarterfinals.
Manchester United have scored 27 goals in the Premier League this season, the second lowest among teams in the top half of the table. A low-risk acquisition of a player with Werghoust’s profile will help the team in its push for a top-four finish.
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