Erik ten Hag has revealed that Wout Weghorst was used as a No. 10 against Barcelona in the first leg of their Europa League play-off to help with pressing.
Weghorst began his tenth game for United but fell behind Marcus Rashford, who scored the only goal in the gripping 2-2 draw at Camp Nou.
Despite the fact that Rashford has scored 14 goals in his previous 16 games and has already matched his 22-goal season high from 2019–20, Bruno Fernandes is United’s second leading scorer with seven goals.
Since joining on loan from Burnley until the end of the season, Weghorst has scored just once in nine games, and in the first half of the match, he missed a one-on-one opportunity.
As reported by the Manchester Evening News, Ten Hag has revealed that he used the Dutch striker in a different position to help the team.
“It’s more tactical but also to get some other players in good positions in the whole front three; Bruno, Rashy and Jadon. But also to get a good press on and I think the plan worked well.”
“Other players can score: Bruno, Jadon, they can score as well. Wout of course can score as well and they will score. But in the end, it doesn’t matter who scores but in such a game, when you create five or seven 100% chances you have to finish that more, it’s quite clear.”
Although Weghorst was ineffective in the first half, his change of position helped Rashford run down the flank and contribute two goals.
The Red Devils were the better side in the second half owing to Ten Hag’s tactical masterclass.
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United would need a similar strategy in the return leg at Old Trafford, as a win would secure their spot in the next round.
