Manchester United: Will Wout Weghorst start against Manchester City?

Wout Weghorst has already signed for Manchester United. But the question is, will Wout Weghorst play in Manchester Derby?

After missing out on several attacking transfer targets like Cody Gakpo and Joao Felix to clubs like Liverpool and Chelsea, Manchester United have finally found luck in signing an attacker. The Old Trafford outfit has secured the services of Wout Weghorst from Burnley.

"Wout Weghorst has signed his contract as a new Manchester United player just a few minutes ago. Club statement to follow."

However, the Dutch forward is not available for the Manchester Derby. Erik ten Hag, in his press conference, mentioned that the club is close to signing the Burnley forward on loan but he will not take part in the game against Manchester City.

"We are close to signing Wout Weghorst but he won’t he available for Manchester derby(Via: Fabrizio Romano)"

Wout Weghorst in 2022/23 season

Wout Weghorst made a switch to the English top-flight from VfL Wolfsburg in a deal worth € 17.5 million. However, the talismanic striker failed to live up to the hype as he could score only 5 G/A from 20 Premier League appearances. The player’s value tumbled as Burnley got relegated to EFL Championship.

Following a poor season with Burnley in 2021/22, The Clarets sent him on a loan to Turkey. In 16 Turkish top-flight games, Weghorst had scored eight goals and has four assists.

(Stats via fbref)

Early Manchester United team news

From Erik ten Hag’s press conference, Diogo Dalot is unavailable for the game. The right-back was withdrawn in the first half against Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals. The player has not trained ahead of the game.

On the other hand, the French forward, Anthony Martial is facing the race against time to be fit for the game against the arch-rivals. According to Erik ten Hag, the player has trained with the team but his recovery will play a big role in his selection. Donny van de Beek is ruled out for the rest of the season whereas Jadon Sancho is set to continue his training on the sidelines.

Manchester United Predicted Line up against Manchester City:

Goalkeeper: David de Gea

Defenders: Aaron Wan Bissaka, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw

Midfielders: Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes

Attackers: Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony

Manchester Derby predictions:

Manchester United lost the away game against Manchester City earlier in the ongoing season. Erik ten Hag and his side have staged a great comeback after that 6-3 loss. Cityzens are out of form at the moment and Manchester United will look forward to capitalizing on the same. We can expect a close encounter with Manchester United edging Manchester City at Old Trafford.