Jamie Carragher responded in good spirits to a joke circulating from Manchester United fans over the imminent signing of Wout Weghorst.
Dutch striker Weghorst is set to arrive in Manchester on Thursday to complete his medical following a loan agreement with parent club Burnley and Besiktas. United are set to pay a compensation fee of around £2.5million to the Turkish club in order for them to terminate their loan of the forward.
Standing at 6ft 6in, the 30-year-old looks to have been drafted in as a stop-gap signing, replacing the departed Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford until the end of this season. United fans have become accustomed to the height of their signings coming under the microscope, and decided to aim a joke at one of the more vocal culprits in Carragher.
Also read: Weghorst aiming to complete United medical in time to face City
The Stretford Paddock satirically tweeted out a fake quote from the former Liverpool captain, which said: "I think Weghorst is too tall to play in the Premier League. I just don’t see how this can work."
The context being that Carragher somewhat prematurely honed in on Lisandro Martinez's diminutive stature following the 4-0 defeat at Brentford in August. Back then, the former centre-back admitted he was 'convinced this can't work because the size of him playing in a back four', adding that the Argentinian could not play in that position in the Premier League.
His prediction looks rather foolish now, with Martinez - now a World Cup winner - and Raphael Varane forming one of the league's most solid defensive partnerships. The 24-year-old has been present for five of the Reds' eight clean sheets in the league, returning from international duty at the start of the year to help his side increase their winning run to eight games across all competitions.
To his credit, Carragher seemed to take the joke well, quoting the tweet with two laughing emojis and a pair of clapping emojis.
United and Weghorst's insistence on completing the medical on Thursday highlights a hope that the striker will be available for Saturday's Manchester derby.
Victory over the weekend will take United to within one point of their Manchester rivals, dragging them right into the mix for a title race.
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