Man Utd cult hero who replaced Cristiano Ronaldo makes EFL debut just a month after playing in Euro 2024 semi-final
Star has played for four different clubs since joining his current side two years ago
HE faced England in the Euro 2024 semi-finals and was on loan with Manchester United as recently as last year.
Now a vastly-experienced Netherlands striker has reminded fans he is still with an English club – by making a brief EFL debut.
The player is best known globally for clashing with Lionel Messi amid a World Cup 2022 quarter-finals exit to eventual tournament winners Argentina on penalties.
That’s despite having joined Burnley from Wolfsburg at the start of the same year for £12million.
Relegation followed for the Clarets – leading to three different loans.
In fact, he hadn’t played a game for the Lancashire side since the end of the 2021/22 season.
Three loan spells have followed in the past two campaigns, which saw Burnley go up, and then down again, without him.
He hit nine goals in 18 games for Turkish giants Besiktas.
At the same time, Cristiano Ronaldo was making his position at Man Utd increasingly untenable with scathing criticism of the club, and manager Erik ten Hag, in an exclusive interview with Piers Morgan.
That prompted Ten Hag to take the step of terminating the striker’s contract by mutual consent and turning to a certain Wout Weghorst in January 2023.
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Burnley and Besiktas even reportedly split the £3m fee for the temporary move to Old Trafford.
However, despite being a regular starter for the Red Devils and playing his part in positive results, Weghorst netted only twice in 31 matches for Ten Hag’s men.
And when he returned to Burnley last summer he was quickly loaned out again – to Hoffenheim.
Seven goals in 30 games for the Germans was a so-so return.
But when he once more went back to Turf Moor, in June this year, talk of another move surfaced.
Besiktas and Ajax have been talked up as possible options.
And it’s still reckoned the 6ft 5ins ace, who was 32 last week, could land a transfer in the next few weeks.
But for now he’s under new boss Scott Parker at Burnley.
That follows relegation for the yo-yo-ing Clarets and the departure of their manager Vincent Kompany to take charge of Bayern Munich.
Weghorst began his latest stint with his parent club in what some might consider fitting style – a late cameo below the radar as a sub.
The former AZ Alkmaar ace played only the last eight minutes on Monday night, when the Clarets had already wrapped up a 4-1 win at Luton.
His minor role came too late to make much difference.
But now fans are wondering if there is still time for Weghorst to snatch a dramatic move – or if he will finally rebuild his career at Turf Moor.
One supporter posted: “I’ve forgotten Weghorst could smile in a Burnley shirt, keep him we have a great secondary striker in this league.”