Wout Weghorst is no stranger to being at the centre of things.
The Manchester United striker took to social media on Wednesday to put his side of the story across after a video emerged of him patting the 'This is Anfield' sign on the way onto the pitch ahead of the weekend game with Liverpool. On another day it might be something of nothing, but on a day when United were thrashed 7-0 it became a news topic.
The Dutchman explained it away as an attempt to wind up international team-mate Virgil van Dijk while referencing his respect and love for the United fan base. The 30-year-old has been under the spotlight in recent weeks having gone 11 games without a goal with pundits questioning his effectiveness, more so since he dropped into a number 10 position in recent weeks.
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But the striker isn't the sort of character to let that impact or affect him. This is a player who took on Lionel Messi and much of Argentina following his two-goal showing that almost knocked the eventual champions out of the World Cup in Qatar. That prompted Messi to fire an insult or two in Weghorst's direction but the Dutchman wasn't for backing down.
He has always been driven and determined. Aged just 20, at his first senior club, the forward had no problem holding court and making his feelings known. “He had a pure winner’s mentality. His attitude was to tell the rest, for example at half time he would tell the rest of the players if they were not doing enough,” said Joop Gall, his boss at Emmen, speaking to Lancs Live last year.
At Burnley last season he fractured a relationship with supporters towards the end of the campaign with his body language on the pitch and comments off it when he made it clear he wouldn't be playing in the Championship, where the Clarets ended up following relegation.
During his time at Turf Moor he could be demanding of team-mates and confrontational at times. He was competitive in training and wasn't fussed about what others thought of him. He liked to keep newspaper clippings of his performances - not something you associate with a Premier League footballer - he was an excellent darts player and he caused some uproar with anti-vaccination comments when in Germany that he later retracted. It wasn't that he didn't fit in at Burnley, more that he wasn't as bothered about fitting in. During a Nations League game with Wales last summer he got involved in a heated discussion with former Burnley team-mate Connor Roberts.
The summer yielded a move to Besiktas, which was a success with the striker in the goals and seemingly building a rapport with the fans. His emotional goal celebration for the club when it became clear he was moving to Manchester perhaps epitomised his career - an apparent love for the supporters but a single-mindedness to do what was best for his career.
That's how the move to Turkey came about with the former Wolfsburg man keen to secure a spot in the Netherlands World Cup squad, something then national team boss Louis van Gaal had told him wouldn't happen if he remained at Burnley. So he left on loan.
But his attitude and the way he is prepared to cut his own path are traits often admired in his homeland. He is from the same part of the Netherlands as Erik ten Hag with both happy to have difficult conversations if they see it being of benefit. Van Gaal was also a fan.
For Weghorst, the fall-out from touching the Anfield sign won't keep him awake at night. His steely determination has been his biggest strength and arguably his biggest weakness and he will want to prove the doubters wrong between now and the end of May.
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