Erik ten Hag is backing Manchester United loanee Wout Weghorst to follow in teammate Marcus Rashford's footsteps and find the goals his performances have deserved.
The Netherlands international, who joined United on loan from Championship table-toppers Burnley last month, has scored just one goal for the club so far, finding the net in the first-leg of the Reds' Carabao Cup semi-final triumph over Nottingham Forest. He has quickly cemented himself as a key figure in Ten Hag's plans, becoming a regular starter.
He has flittered between playing as a striker and as an attacking-midfielder in recent matches, meaning he has, at times, had to sacrifice himself for the greater good of the team. But after coming close to scoring his first Old Trafford goal on several occasions during the second half of Sunday's 3-0 win over Leicester City, it does feel as though it is only a matter of time before Weghorst finds the goals he is looking for.
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And for United manager Ten Hag, who included his fellow countryman in his starting line-up for Thursday night's Europa League clash with Barcelona at Old Trafford, he has drawn comparisons between Weghorst's slow start to life at the club with Rashford's slow start to this campaign, where he scored just five goals in his first 13 appearances of the season.
"I think everyone can see that [how big an influence he has on the team], of course," said Ten Hag, speaking to BT Sport pre-match. "If you see his stats in all the leagues he has played in, he has scored goals and I am sure it will come.
"At the start of the season, Rashy [Rashford] also didn't score that much. It will come.
"He has had a lot of chances already. But as you know, for strikers it is about the feeling and all of a sudden he will net one and then he will get more. Until that moment he also has other contributions, like making a lot of space for other players and what he is doing out of possession is magnificent."
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