Wout Weghorst: His story so far

Monday 16 January 2023 14:06

Wout Weghorst is a proven goalscorer across the continent, but he will be looking to hit the ground running at Manchester United, back in the Premier League.

Wout has scored goals across several clubs, whether that be in the Eredivisie at the beginning of his career, or his prolific time with German side VfL Wolfsburg.

Weghorst began his career at youth level with RSKV NEO and DETO, before signing his first professional contract with Willem II in 2011.

He wouldn’t make any first-team appearances for the Eredivisie side, though and opted to join second-tier team Emmen in 2012, with his desire for regular minutes evident.

Training highlights: Welcome to Carrington, Wout! Video

Training highlights: Welcome to Carrington, Wout!

Training highlights | Watch over six minutes of footage, as Wout Weghorst joins the rest of the squad at Carrington...

Wout notched eight times in his first season with the club, and following a 13-goal haul in the following campaign, made the step up to the first tier of Dutch football, with Heracles Almelo.

The six-foot-six striker made his mark during two seasons with the Eredivisie outfit, scoring 24 goals in 73 games, helping them qualify for Europe for the first time in their history in 2016.

Such form earned Weghorst a move to fellow Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, where he plied his trade for another two years. Alkmaar is where Wout began to make a name for himself across Europe, with the forward notching 18 goals in the league during the 2017/18 campaign, the joint-third highest in the division.

His goalscoring also caught the attention of then-national team coach Ronald Koeman, who gave Weghorst his full international debut for the Netherlands in March 2018, in a friendly against England.

That summer, Wout transferred to Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg, where he would spend four prolific years, finishing as the division’s third top scorer for the 2018/19 season.

During his stay in Germany, where he also played in the Europa League, Weghorst notched up an impressive tally of 70 goals in 144 appearances.

January 2022 saw Premier League side Burnley make a move for the Netherlands striker, who by that point had become a regular fixture for the Oranje.

Weghorst arrived at Turf Moor, but unfortunately could not save the Clarets from being relegated to the Championship at the end of the 2021/22 season.

Last summer, Wout joined Turkish side Besiktas on loan, where he rediscovered his goalscoring touch, notching nine times in 18 games.

Confirmed: Weghorst's United number

 Article

The Dutch striker will wear a number previously donned by six other Reds.

That form, and the two goals he scored at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar during the dramatic quarter-final with Argentina, caught the attention of United manager Erik ten Hag, who bolstered his forward line by adding the striker to the Reds’ ranks.

Weghorst will no doubt be striving to emulate that form for United between now and the end of the 2022/23 season, with the side continuing to fight on four fronts following a brilliant run of form.

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