Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes has leapt to the defence of Wout Weghorst after Richard Keys claimed it was like the Red Devils were playing with 10 men when the Dutchman is on the pitch.
The Netherlands international arrived at Old Trafford last month on loan for the remainder of the campaign from parent club Burnley. He was actually at Turkish outfit Besiktas at the time but cut short his loan there to try and make a go of it at the Theatre of Dreams.
Things haven't exactly gone as well as he may have hoped, with Weghorst bagging just one goal so far. That strike came during the Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg against Nottingham Forest, as he still awaits his first league goal in the famous red shirt.
With that in mind, he had plenty of chances to get off the mark on Sunday as United beat Leicester 3-0. After Marcus Rashford had netted a brace, the game begin to open up as the Foxes needed to chase it, which meant Erik ten Hag's side were enjoying plenty of opportunities, yet none that Weghost could take.
As a result, the 30-year-old came in for some serious criticism after the game from a number of people, including former Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys.
"You’re playing with ten men most weeks if he’s [Weghorst] in," Keys told beIN SPORTS after the striker's poor performance in front of goal on Sunday. "I mean, he doesn’t do enough to justify a starting place does he? Come on, let’s be honest!"
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However, teammate Fernandes does not agree and has explained how Weghorst is still contributing in a positive way without getting himself on the scoresheet in the league just yet.
Speaking to MUTV, the Portugal international explained: "Sometimes it’s like this, you want the ball to go in and it’s a matter of time. As a striker, you always want to score goals but he’s doing his job, doing a lot of runs that we need, the pressure that we need.
"This is why he’s still playing. It’s a matter of time until he gets his goals. After he gets the first he will open something that will give him more and more goals so he can help the team even more."
Regardless of Weghorst's individual display, United now sit third following the win and are breathing down the necks of local rivals Man City having cut their lead to just three points.
It is a testament to the job that Ten Hag has done that United are now widely viewed as being involved in the race for the title this term, though whether Weghorst has it in him to fire them to glory as he leads the line remains to be seen.
