Gary Neville believes that Wout Weghorst has a bigger impact at Manchester United than Cristiano Ronaldo in his second period. The analyst claims that the the Dutch international “shouldn’t really be there” and “not allowed to tie Ronaldo’s shoelaces”, but argues that he has brought more than the Portuguese star player during his second term at Old Trafford. Neville further calls on Erik ten Hag to stop experimenting with Weghorst.
Neville was stunned when he came in on Monday Monday Night Football on Sky Sports asked by Jamie Carragher to choose between Weghorst and Ronaldo in the current United. The former defender wore the shirt of in the past together with the Portuguese superstar the Red Devils, but clearly questions the role of his former teammate at the start of the season. Ronaldo was disciplinary punished by Ten Hag and decided to leave for the Saudi Al-Nassr in the winter.
“Who would you pick Weghorst or Ronaldo?” ??@Carra23 wasn’t letting @GNev2 get away?? pic.twitter.com/MpVUmJlLbe
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 3, 2023
Ten Hag then decided to have Weghorst flown over from Besiktas, but still sees his pupil struggling with his form. The striker from Borne has only found the net twice so far and is struggling to convince the critics of his abilities. Criticism that has not abated after the lost away game at Newcastle United (2-0). However, Neville showed a stats chart on Monday night to show that Weghorst has a bigger impact at United than Ronaldo.
“So Weghorst is better for United than Ronaldo?” Carragher asked. “I don’t think either of them should be playing for United at the moment,” said Neville. “The most important thing is who Ten Hag chooses. I don’t know who I would choose. Weghorst has twelve wins, four draws, three losses and he has only scored twice. But the team has scored 37 goals. With Ronaldo, United won three games less, they drew three times and lost four times. He scored 11 times but the team only scored 23 times.
Neville is also critical of Weghorst. “I called him an emergency solution because United did not invest in a striker who actually wanted it,” said the former defender. “This experiment has to stop. Weghorst has to get out. This cannot go on any longer. The curious thing about the whole story is that United have a striker who is not good enough to be a striker for the club, but who has brought more profit to the team. “I still believe that Ronaldo is the best player of all time. It should be clear that Weghorst should not tie Ronaldo’s laces when we compare their qualities.”