Wout Weghorst shirt number options at Man Utd
Wout Weghorst is a Manchester United player for the remainder of the 2022/23 after finalising a loan from Burnley. The giant Dutch striker had spent the first of the half campaign on loan at Besiktas in Turkey, where he scored eight Super Lig goals.
Weghorst fills the void at Old Trafford left by Cristiano Ronaldo’s sudden departure in November and he stands to play an important role in a developing team that lacks depth up front.
The 30-year-old is no spring chicken and his numbers in the Premier League – two goals in 20 Burnley appearances – aren’t exactly worthy of being lauded. But it is worth noting that Burnley were fighting relegation and his record in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg was far better – 20 league goals in his last full season in Germany in 2020/21.
As well as general cover, Weghorst will offer United a different dimension that could prove to be a vital asset in the battle to secure a top four place and a return to the Champions League.
The most obvious shirt number available to Weghorst at United is the number seven shirt left open by Ronaldo. Rumours that it had been promised to Joao Felix are also now redundant given that the Portuguese has already signed for – and been sent off for – Chelsea.
The seven shirt also bears vast expectation at United and it is only Edinson Cavani who has done it justice other than Ronaldo in the last 20 years – Angel Di Maria, Memphis Depay and Alexis Sanchez flopped hard, while Antonio Valencia quickly switched digits and Michael Owen was already past it.
On this edition of TPL, Scott Saunders & Rob Blanchette discuss how to solve Man Utd's issue at centre-forward & Ten Hag's striker plans. The guys talk Wout Weghorst, the fact João Felix is no longer on the market, Victor Osimhen, Harry Kane, Benjamin Sesko & more!
If you can’t see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!
Throughout his career, Weghorst has occupied typical striker numbers. He wore nine at Burnley, Wolfsburg and AZ Alkmaar, and 10 in recent months at Besiktas. He also has a history of wearing 19 at both club and international level, latterly with Netherlands during the 2022 World Cup.
Sadly for him, nine and 19 are already taken at Old Trafford, as is 10.
If he avoids seven, which seems likely, the open shirt numbers at United are 13, 15 and 24.
13 is typically seen as a goalkeeper shirt, although it has famously been used as an outfield shirt at United by former fan favourite Park Ji-sung. The club’s most recent number 15 was Andreas Pereira, who permanently left for Fulham last year, while the last 24 wearer was Timothy Fosu-Mensah.