Paul Scholes has insisted that Wout Weghorst simply isn't good enough to play for Manchester United following Sunday's chastening 7-0 defeat against Liverpool.
The decision to bring Weghorst to Old Trafford in January raised eyebrows after the Dutchman failed to make an impact in the Premier League with Burnley last season, but the striker has been praised on more than one occasion by Erik ten Hag for his movement and pressing ability.
Weghorst has scored just once in 14 appearances since joining the club, though, and it was no surprise to see him hauled off just before the hour mark on Sunday after failing to make an impact at Anfield.
Plenty of other pundits, including Richard Keys, have stuck the boot in on Weghorst in recent weeks - and now Scholes has seen enough. Speaking after the game on Sunday, he told Premier League Productions: "Weghorst is in the team to be a defender, really.
"You’re talking about a Manchester United No.10 or a centre-forward, he’s in the team to be defensive. He’s the one who runs about and rats about and everybody likes playing with him because he does that. But quality-wise as well you’ve got to have a certain level of quality to play for Man United… it’s not there."
Scholes' brutal verdict comes less than a fortnight after Weghorst admitted that he needed to increase his goal output in order to remain in the Manchester United team.
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Weghorst has spent the majority of his career playing as a No.9 but has found himself operating in a deeper role behind Marcus Rashford in recent weeks. Speaking after he blanked again in United's dramatic second-leg triumph against Barcelona in the Europa League, he stressed that he was still getting to grips with the No.10 position - before also admitting that he needed to find form in front of goal.
He said: "Of course, I have played in some different positions, it’s also new to me. What I can bring to the team? I hope lots of energy, I hope the belief. Of course, I am someone who is giving a lot of effort against the ball also, try to get high pressure on the opponent, get the guys around me free.
"Of course, get myself also free and scoring goals so that’s definitely a point we need to improve, because I know I’m capable of bringing that also to the team. That’s something that so far hasn’t worked as we wanted, as we planned, but overall I’m just somebody who is giving his all to the team with a lot of energy and trying to win all these trophies we’re still capable of."
