Manchester United have not made many forays into the loan market in the Premier League era.
The sheer nature of a loan at United, as it is with many other clubs, is signing a stop-gap, a temporary space in the squad that needs filling, solving an issue hopefully for a few months before attempting to tackle it with greater certainty in the summer. This season has been a case in point.
United were left light in the centre-forward department when Cristiano Ronaldo's bombshell interview with Piers Morgan led to the Portuguese superstar's swift exit from Old Trafford for the second time. It was a void which simply had to be filled.
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The Reds have had success with bringing in strikers on loan deals in the past. Carlos Tevez, before his departure and controversial move to Manchester City, had a trophy-laden spell at Old Trafford including winning two Premier League titles, the Champions League, League Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
His first-season form in particular alongside Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney was a big factor in United becoming champions of England and Europe at the same time. Despite the aftermath of his move to City, the two-year loan was undoubtedly a success.
The same can be said of Henrik Larsson's stint at United in 2007 from Swedish side Helsingborg. The experience he brought to the table helped Sir Alex Ferguson's side get over the line and seal their first league title in four years.
Even Odion Ighalo's initial impact at United from Shanghai Shenhua before the Covid-19 pandemic put the brakes on world football was an encouraging one, with four goals in eight games.
Wout Weghorst has clearly not filled the void left by Ronaldo's departure. This is not something which the Dutchman ought to be overly criticised for, to fill the gap left by one of the all-time greats of the game.
Weghorst has found the back of the net just twice in 29 games for United since his January move from Burnley, after an earlier loan spell at Turkish side Besiktas was cut short. Despite bringing work rate and clear endeavour to the game, he has simply not hit the goalscoring standards needed when it comes to being a United striker.
It is reminiscent of Radamel Falcao's spell at the club when Louis van Gaal arrived. in 2014 Though Weghorst does not have the pedigree of what Falcao did, the Colombian was a disappointment for United with just four goals across the course of the season as van Gaal opted against signing him on a permanent basis.
It is understood United will not be seeking to extend Weghorst's time at the club when his loan deal expires this summer. Ten Hag will take the lessons from this transfer and move on to the summer with United aiming to make a new striker a priority signing, with Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane and Napoli's Victor Osimhen high on the list.
Fellow January signing Marcel Sabitzer has fared a bit better than what Weghorst has. The Bayern Munich midfielder has added some strength in depth to United's central midfield department and provided Ten Hag with an alternative in that part of the pitch.
United's best-choice midfield trio when fully fit and firing this season has been Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes. He has helped take the pressure off this trio and the United boss with his availability, filling in when Eriksen in particular was sidelined with an injury.
He has also chipped in with three goals, one more than what Weghorst has in a similar timeframe. Unfortunately his season has been ended early thanks to a knee injury, but he has impressed during his time at Old Trafford.
There was no option to buy included in the loan deal for Sabitzer, which was concluded on deadline day in the January transfer window. It remains to be seen what decision United make this summer with the midfielder, who has confirmed he would be interested in joining the club on a permanent basis.
Ten Hag has been coy on his intentions with Sabitzer for the summer window, but will no doubt have liked what he has seen from the Austria international. He would certainly come into the reckoning in a conversation of midfield reinforcements and it would be fair to say there is a much greater chance of seeing Sabitzer back in the red shirt next season than there is Weghorst.
United's two loan signings from this January have perhaps typified the club's fortunes with bringing in players on a temporary basis over the years. Ten Hag will have learned much over from the experiences which he can put into practice should the question of bringing in a player on loan need to be answered again.
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