Sport

Manchester United reach agreement to sign Burnley striker Wout Weghorst on loan

He was out on loan at Beşiktaş but the three clubs have apparently reached an agreement.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 12th January 2023

It looks like Erik ten Hag is about to complete his eighth signing for Manchester United as Burnley FC striker Wout Weghorst has reportedly agreed terms to join on loan until the end of the season.

The Dutchman was already loaned out to Turkish side Beşiktaş after joining the Lancashire club back in January 2022, scoring just two goals and three assists in 20 appearances for the Clarets.

Nevertheless, since flying east following Burnley’s relegation back to the Championship in his debut season, Weghorst has grabbed eight goals and four assists in 16 games and also bagged an important brace to take the Netherlands to penalties in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals.

Enjoying a much improved season on loan and following his late heroics in Qatar, the six-foot-six forward’s stock has risen and given the obvious Dutch connection, clearly caught ten Hag’s eye. As always, leading transfer source Fabrizio Romano was one of the first to break the news.

According to The Athletic, the Red Devils have secured the former Bundesliga and Burnley striker’s services after paying a £2.5 million termination fee to release him from his existing loan contract with Beşiktaş.

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Said to be flying to Manchester today, though unlikely, the question is now whether he will be registered in time for the Manchester derby.

United kicked off the January transfer window by replacing their back-up for David de Gea after Slovakian Martin Dúbravka was recalled by his parent club, Newcastle United, bringing in former Stoke and Palace Jack Butland instead – also on loan until the end of the season.

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More pressingly, ten Hag’s team were obviously made one lighter in attacking areas in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo’s very public fallout and departure from Old Trafford, so an offensive signing will no doubt come as good news to most Reds.

On the other hand, many have questioned whether signing another striker on the wrong side of 30, not to mention having struggled to prove himself in the Premier League, is the right move in the market.

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Speaking to BBC Sport, former first-team coach and scout René Meulensteen said of Weghorst: “He is different, that is why Erik ten Hag is bringing him in.”

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He offers something else that the other Manchester United forwards don’t have – but I don’t think he will be a starter every game”, according to Meulensteen, adding that believes “ten Hag knows what he is doing, for sure”.

While Weghorst will clearly be a short-term stop-gap who will be utilised as a more old-school, big centre-forward, United will obviously be looking to bring in further names in attacking positions as well as the other areas that suit the bigger picture.

However, former right-back Gary Neville believes that ten Hag’s apparent new salary cap could jeopardise the club’s chances when it comes to going after their primary targets.

Should the deal cross the line, will Weghorst end up being a revelatory signing for United, a flat-track bully, or just a flop altogether?

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Featured Image — Wout Weghorst (via Instagram)

Sport

Andy Cole makes the case for Ivan Toney as a January transfer target for Manchester United

Danny Jones Danny Jones Andy Cole suggests Man United should sign Ivan Toney

Manchester United legend Andy Cole has suggested that Manchester United should consider making sidelined striker Ivan Toney their next transfer target in the January window as they look to strengthen their side.

The Brentford striker is currently serving an eight-month ban following a total of 232 breaches of FA rules for gambling offences and hasn’t played since May but is, nevertheless, still considered one of the best centre-forwards in the Premier League and earned his first England call-up back in March.

Following an Athletic report which claimed an unnamed football agent has now confirmed Toney is “destined” to leave the West London club once he returns to the fold, the former Man United player and prolific number nine has said he believes Toney would be a good addition.

In an interview with Betfred, the 51-year-old said of Toney, “I like him. If Manchester United did move to sign Ivan, then he’s only going to make them a little bit better than they find themselves at this exact moment.”

The 27-year-old recently opened up on his addiction problem on The Diary of a CEO podcast with Stephen Bartlett and detailed how he plans to come back stronger than ever.

“He’s been a key player for Brentford and he’s scored plenty of goals for them in the Premier League”, says Cole; “if the opportunity came up, then why shouldn’t Manchester United consider signing him?”

While he did go on to say that the prospect depends on what the club’s recruitment plan is going forward, he insisted that given Toney’s experience at the top level now and that he’s commonly considered in his ‘prime’ years now, he could add more goal threat.

Cole even went on to suggest that Toney could form a partnership up top for United, adding, “he could even help Rasmus Højlund come through.” Højlund scored his first goal on his Champions League debut for the club in their 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich.

Although he acknowledged that it might be a step up for the forward, it goes without saying that Erik ten Hag‘s team are in a difficult period right so far this season, not to mention with absences and injuries piling up, and he also compared the potential challenge to his own move up the football pyramid.

“When I moved from Bristol City to Newcastle, did people believe I could make the step up? I don’t think they did, but I was able to. When I moved from Newcastle to Man United, did people believe I could make the step up? I don’t think so but I proved that I could, so it’s all about giving players the opportunity…”

Cole believes Ivan Toney to United would be a similar step up. (Credit: Newcastle United/Manchester United)

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“You’re never going to know whether they’re capable or not until they’re given the opportunity to show that they can do it.” Cole also argued that regardless of his well-publicised off-field issues with betting, like with United’s other ongoing dramas at present, they “shouldn’t have an impact on the players”.

Citing Brighton’s Evan Ferguson as another “really good player” that many clubs will be interested in come January and next summer, he said that the likelihood of him signing him is less favourable, noting that “if [he’s] scoring hat-tricks in the Premier League, then he’s already worth around £100 million now by that comparison.”

In contrast, with Toney’s time at Brentford somewhat soured by his struggles with gambling and criticising the club in the past, manager Thomas Frank has already admitted that he could leave “if the price is right” and given his conduct issues, it could be a more affordable one for the likes of United.

When speaking in his tell-all podcast interview back in August, Toney did reveal that he’s been a Liverpool fan all his life but that he “like[s] watching Arsenal and how they play and kind of how passionate the fans are”.

The Gunners have already been linked with a possible £50 million sweep for his signature but we’ve seen plenty of targets snapped up by rival clubs already this season. Would you take Ivan Toney at Old Trafford, United fans?

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Featured Image — Ivan Toney/Andy Cole (via Instagram)

Sport

Sale Sharks Academy raise over £17,000 for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital after completing Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon

Danny Jones Danny Jones Sale Sharks raise £17k for Manchester Children's Hospital Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon

Sale Sharks’ Academy team have managed to raise over £17,000 for the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital after completing the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon earlier this year.

The inaugural Leeds Marathon, named after former rugby league icon and motor neurone disease campaigner Rob Burrow, took place back in May with more than 12,000 people taking part and over £4 million raised in charitable donations for various worthy causes. Immense.

While MND was obviously a key focus of the event after Burrow was diagnosed with the condition in December 2019, those joining in could choose to fundraise for any organisation and, in the instance of the Sale Sharks, they chose something close to home and their hearts.

Running the 26.2 miles in aid of the RMCH, the largest children’s hospital in the UK, Sharks Academy manager Fergus Mulchrone and six members of his backroom staff raised a whopping total of £17,048.

The Sale Sharks Academy team have done wonders for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital funding.

With help from Peninsula, who committed to matching the amount raised by Mulchrone and his coaches, the team saw their total of £7,303 raised through their JustGiving page alone, along with further donations amassed in the build-up and after the event, doubled by the organisation.

Teaming up with the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Peninsula agreed to double the total donations figure provided the Sharks hit their target; that’s exactly what they did and then some.

Following their impressive feat, the hospital tweeted: “Congratulations to Sale Sharks who ran the Leeds Marathon AND hit their £5,000 fundraising target. They’re the first to raise the £5K eligible for match-funding by Peninsula in our ‘Making a Difference…Together’ scheme.”

The initiative, which is set to run throughout the entirety of 2023, saw the HR, health and safety firm set aside £100,000 to encourage businesses to do their bit and help raise money for the hospital.

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Well done to Mulchrone and the rest of the runners, as well as everyone who donated to the deeply important charity and healthcare institution.

Elsewhere in rugby union, Fergus’ brother Charlie also recently completed five back-to-back marathons in 24 hours, raising nearly £12k for a mental health charity and an organisation that helps home parents of those in hospice care.

It might be over in The Hoot‘s territory but we’ll never forget watching Oldham’s very own Kevin Sinfield carrying his mate Rob over the finish line — one of the most tear-jerking moments of 2023/in sporting history — and seeing the friendship celebrated over the past few years has warmed our hearts.

Their story has captured the nation and has already made sure that the now annual Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon will be even bigger and better next year.

Kevin Sinfield surprised with beautiful artwork commemorating his inspiring friendship with Rob Burrow

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Featured Image — Sale Sharks (via Twitter)/MNDA (via Instagram)

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