Man Utd striker Wout Weghorst has spoken out after he was caught touching the “This is Anfield” sign before their 7-0 loss against Liverpool.
Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo both scored twice and Mo Salah became Liverpool’s record Premier League scorer as they hammered arch-rivals Man Utd.
Weghorst has since been criticised online after touching the sign but he has suggested that he only did it to “wind up” Virgil van Dijk.
The forward posted on his Instagram account: “Normally I never react on media topics, but for this one, it’s worth it because you amazing Manchester United fans are important to me. So I just want to clarify the video that is doing the rounds.
“From the National team, I know that Virgil always touches that sign and the only intention I had was to stop him touching it and wind him up before the game.
“As a child I always supported FC Twente, and as a proud player now for Manchester United, my dedication to this incredible club can never be questioned.
“Sunday was a terrible day for all of us, we are putting everything into making it right in the next weeks.
“We will bounce back together and achieve our aims this season.”
Richard Keys has criticised Erik ten Hag following United’s embarrassing defeat and he has also argued that Weghorst is “bang ordinary”.
“A quick word on the manager. He strikes me as very keen to take credit when things go well, but it’s always somebody else’s fault when they don’t. This time his players were ‘unprofessional’ and ‘didn’t stick to the plan’. In other words – don’t blame me guv’,” Keys wrote in his blog.
“I’d have rather heard him say “it’s a one-off. It won’t happen again and it certainly won’t spoil the work that we’ve all been doing”. That would’ve been enough. Take it on the chin as a collective. He’s the one complaining that United “didn’t stick together” but he’s distancing himself from it.”
“It’s his [Ten Hag] decision to keep playing Wout Weghorst. It’s not Weghorst’s fault, but he has to be the worst player I’ve ever seen in a United jersey.
“He’s a bang ordinary No 9, who couldn’t get in a struggling Burnley team, but what on earth possesses Seven Hag to think he’s a sumptuous 10?
“One who can “wear the tuxedo” as the Americans say. Come on. It’s a joke and the manager has got to give up pretending that Weghorst has got something to offer.
“He’s not a ‘pressing monster’. He doesn’t “make runs” because he can’t run. And he doesn’t score goals. You can’t start him – push [Bruno] Fernandes left and leave £80m [Jadon] Sancho on the bench. Too clever Erik. Far too clever.”
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