. Ten Hag understood United could only pursue loans and attention turned to Weghorst, whose appeal was enhanced by two excellent goals he scored off the bench against Argentina in that World Cup defeat.
Memphis Depay was also considered for a second spell at Old Trafford due to him having six months left on hiscontract. But Depay wanted a long-term deal to return, which United were not prepared to offer given the tightened financial picture. Burnley’s efforts, led by chief operating officer Matt Williams and backed by chairman Alan Pace, were fuelled by a desire to do right by the player, painting the club in a good light so future targets would be open to joining them, as well as the prospect of enhancing Weghorst’s value for a permanent transfer come the summer.
at Ajax last summer before his own move to United, missed training. “There was nothing wrong with him,” Gunes told a press conference. “Maybe he was injured in the evening at home.”Weghorst was determined. Publicly, he waved farewell to the Besiktas fans after scoring against Kasimpasa on January 7. Privately, he began looking for houses in the Manchester area.
Another factor was that United had to go through the EFL, which was diligent in cross-referencing for possible financial fair play breaches. The loan to Besiktas needed to be terminated, meaning the inclusion of Turkish authorities, then a new loan to United started.