Man Utd confirm shirt number for Wout Weghorst

Manchester United have confirmed new signing Wout Weghorst will wear the number 27 shirt during his loan spell.

The Dutchman joined United on a deal until the end of the season last Friday, providing additional cover for Erik ten Hag up front.

Weghorst had been on loan at Turkish giants Besiktas since the start of the season, but ended the spell early in order to link up with Ten Hag and aid United’s charge towards Champions League qualification.

The Dutchman was a spectator for United’s 2-1 win over neighbourhood rivals City on Saturday because the club weren’t able to register him in time, but he should come into contention for the trip to Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Weghorst will be wearing the number 27 shirt if he does play, most recently worn by Alex Telles for two seasons and previously donned by Marouane Fellaini, Federico Macheda and Mikael Silvestre among others.

The 30-year-old has Premier League experience already under his belt after joining Burnley last January, but his stay at Turf Moor yielded just two goals in 20 appearances as the Clarets were unable to stave off relegation.

The loan spell at Besiktas followed for Weghorst, where he found his scoring boots again with eight goals in 16 league appearances.

Weghorst is known for his strong work ethic and his ability to press opposition defences, while he’ll also be a handful in the air for United given he stands 6’6. Though he’s not expected to become a regular starter at Old Trafford, the 19-cap Dutch international should be afforded plenty of minutes as Ten Hag looks to manage the workload of injury prone Anthony Martial, while also getting the best out of Marcus Rashford.

Rashford was again on the scoresheet for United against City – the fourth successive Premier League game he has scored in – and netted in the recent FA Cup and Carabao Cup wins against Everton and Charlton respectively.