Wout Weghorst joined Manchester United on a temporary deal until the summer and scored his first goal for the club in a Carabao Cup clash against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night.
Of course, the forward's first job will be to score goals and help United finish in a top-four position at the end of the season and hopefully win some silverware. But since Erik ten Hag's side is a work in progress, the 30-year-old can play another role in shaping how the team plays in the long term.
It was clear that with Cristiano Ronaldo in the side, United were lacking a clear focal point. The 37-year-old often moved out of the box to look for opportunities to get the ball to his feet and shoot in the wrong moments; he was also prone to mistiming or not making runs at all.
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Weghorst presents a different sort of number nine. He drops deep to help link up the play but then moves into the box to occupy the center-backs and give the creative players in United's side an outlet to aim at.
His goal against Forest was a classic poacher's finish. He seized on the rebound from Antony's strike to get his first goal and this sort of last-line presence is something United have been missing.
He also nearly scored a header late in the game after an excellent cross by Facundo Pellistri, but he was unable to convert the chance.
Weghorst is only at Old Trafford for a limited amount of time, but his playstyle may help the team around him understand how to play with the sort of number nine Ten Hag will want to add to his starting XI. This may help the new player, be it Victor Osimhen, Goncalo Ramos or another forward, hit the ground running.
Overall this season is about putting in place the foundation for the rest of Ten Hag's reign as manager at Old Trafford. Silverware and a top-four finish are added bonuses, but in terms of United's long-term plan, nailing the system is the priority.
And who knows, if Weghorst performs well during his loan spell and gets the goals on top of acting as a surrogate striker, he could extend his stay at United and remain at the club as a rotation option.
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