WEGHORST WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR MANCHESTER DERBY: MAN UNITED MANAGER ERIK TEN HAG

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag confirmed that the club was close to signing transfer target Wout Weghorst, but that the player would be unavailable for the Manchester derby.

“We’re almost there. He will not be available for tomorrow’s match,” Ten Hag said at the pre-match press conference.

“Weghorst hasn’t even been available in the last few weeks; it would be a bonus if he was. “Without Anthony Martial, we’ve won a lot of games,” he added.

Weghorst, who was previously on loan at Turkish club Besiktas, appears to be an unexpected replacement for Ronaldo. United terminated his contract in November after he gave an explosive interview to Piers Morgan in which he criticized Ten Hag and the club’s owners.

Ronaldo has since joined Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

Ten Hag has been eager to bring in attacking reinforcements to help his team’s push for Champions League qualification and trophy in his first season in charge.

Ronaldo’s departure left United with only Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford as senior strikers.

Weghorst represented the Netherlands at the World Cup in Qatar, scoring two goals in the Netherlands’ dramatic quarterfinal match against Argentina. He scored twice late in the game to force extra time and penalties, which Argentina won 4-3 in the shootout.

Weghorst, 30, has eight goals for Besiktas this season, including two in his last three games.

Weghorst joined Burnley in January of last year in a $15 million deal from German club Wolfsburg. As Burnley was relegated from the Premier League, he only managed two goals in 20 appearances.

This month, United was linked with a move for Cody Gakpo, but the Dutch forward instead joined rival Liverpool.

Ten Hag is expected to pursue a long-term replacement for Ronaldo in the summer, with Harry Kane being one of the players mentioned.

Donny van de Beek, a United midfielder, has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.

Man United enters the game after a commanding 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals, with Ten Hag becoming the club’s quickest to 20 wins. However, the Dutchman emphasized the importance of winning trophies.

“It’s nice, but you don’t deserve it. It’s all about trophies. “We’re here to work on a project and win trophies,” he told the press.

(With assistance from AP)