Wout Weghorst said he will 'never forget' the phone call in which he learned of his move to Manchester United, as he admitted he hopes he scores his first goal for his new club soon.
The Dutchman's arrival on loan from Burnley for the rest of the season was confirmed last week, following protracted three-way negotiations with the Championship club and Besiktas. United paid around £2.5million compensation for the Turkish club to terminate their season-long loan at the halfway point.
After joining up with the squad on the Sunday, Weghorst made his United debut on Wednesday, starting and playing 69 minutes in the 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace. The opportunity to join Erik ten Hag's side is a welcome step up for a striker who saw his Burnley side relegated last season before moving to Turkey, and speaking ahead of Sunday's huge trip to Arsenal, the 30-year-old reflected on the moment he first heard of the move.
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"[The phone call] was in the evening," Weghorst told Sky Sports. "It was already quite late, I was texting with my agent because I wasn't happy with [Besiktas] training and was complaining to be honest. I was laying on the bed with the baby in my arms and he decided to give me the call.
"He thought it was the right moment because he’d been planning it for a while and it got so far that he trusted to tell me. I will not forget this call. I knew from the first second there was no doubt.
"When you walk around here [Carrington] and in the gym you see the big Man United logo above you, I can try to sound tough and cool but no, this is something special and I'm really proud. I will give my all for this club."
Despite a disappointing end to Wednesday night's game, Weghorst showed plenty of promise in leading the line and providing a focal point that has been missing since Cristiano Ronaldo's departure. The form and quality of those around him mean goals are not necessity for success in red, but as with all strikers, the Dutchman is keen to open his account sooner rather than later.
"To be honest I trained one time with the whole squad before the match," he added. "I did my best, the room to improve is definitely there but i was satisfied. You wish for a more special debut of course but the result at the end gave us a little bit of a bad feeling.
"[Sunday is a] big match of course for us to make this gap smaller. We’re ready, I’m ready and like I said I hope to score [my first] goal as quick as possible."
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