Embarrassing’ – former Manchester United striker Wout Weghorst is booed on Burnley return

Former Manchester United striker Wout Weghorst came on as a late substitution for Burnley during their 2-0 defeat to Genk

Former Manchester United striker Wout Weghorst received jeers and boos as he made his return for parent club Burnley on Saturday.

The Dutch forward came on for the last ten minutes of their pre-season fixture with Belgian side Genk but was unable to make an impact as the Clarets lost 2-0. However, on Twitter one of the major talking points was the reception Weghorst received from his own supporters.

Weghorst was greeted with boos as he entered the field and some reports from fans in attendance claimed he was jeered each time he touched the ball. The 30-year-old earned a poor reception from his parent club’s supporters after he chose to leave Burnley following their relegation to the Championship.

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ALSO READ: Weghorst names only disappointment during United loan

Initially, he joined Besiktas but would make the switch to United in January as they looked to fill the gap left behind by Cristiano Ronaldo in November. Weghorst’s time at Old Trafford was no great success though as he scored just twice in all competitions but he did pick up a League Cup winners medal.

Upon the end of his loan spell, Weghorst returned to Turf Moor with Erik ten Hag not choosing to explore the opportunity of signing him permanently. In May, his manager Vincent Kompany announced he would have talks with Weghorst upon his return to the club regarding his future.

While no decision has been published on his future, Weghorst’s cameo in the Genk defeat would suggest he is being looked at ahead of the club’s return to the Premier League. Although plenty of Burnley fans are unhappy with the striker’s behaviour last season, many on social media deemed his treatment from fellow supporters was unfair.

FPL new signings: Does Trafford replace Muric as Burnley keeper?

Thursday saw a pair of goalkeeper transfers involving Old Trafford and a young Trafford. As Andre Onana (£5.0m) signed for Manchester United, James Trafford joined Burnley.

Handed a £4.5m Fantasy Premier League (FPL) price, Trafford comes fresh off becoming a European Under-21 Championships winner with England.

becoming a European Under-21 Championships winner with England.

What impact will he have on FPL and will he replace Ari Muric (£4.5m) as first choice?

We’ll attempt to answer those questions below.

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After starting as a midfielder in his hometown of Carlisle, Trafford signed with Manchester City aged 12. Always willing to stay behind and spend additional hours improving himself, the 6ft 6in giant impressed Pep Guardiola during a post-training penalty shootout in 2020. One year later, he was part of City’s travelling squad for their Champions League final.
“I was always a midfielder or striker. Then there was this session when they only had one goalie and asked if anyone wanted to go in goal. My dad had a pair of gloves in the car and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll go in goal’.”
Still very young, Trafford was sent on loan to Accrington Stanley for 2021/22 but it brought a frustrating setback when he conceded five against Oxford United and was only used twice more. So he completed the campaign at Bolton Wanderers, this time beginning with four clean sheets from four matches.The loan continued for 2022/23 and included a streak of nine consecutive home shut-outs, although his final total of 22 clean sheets wasn’t enough to secure promotion via the play-offs. Even so, by winning the EFL Trophy at Wembley, Trafford has already experienced glory and quickly followed that up with some international heroics just a few weeks ago.
Not only did England win the Under-21 tournament, it was done without conceding a single goal. Trafford bagged a clean sheet in all six matches, dramatically saving a stoppage-time penalty (and rebound) from Abel Ruiz in the final.He may not possess any domestic experience above League One but Trafford seems destined to be a star.
WHERE TRAFFORD FITS IN AT BURNLEY

The thing is, Burnley had the Championship’s best defence whilst finishing in first place. Just five clean sheets were collected throughout their first 20 games, followed by 16 from the remaining 26, conceding the fewest overall goals (35) and attempts (394).

Fellow Man City graduate Arijanet Muric (£4.5m) was bought specifically because he shares Vincent Kompany’s possession-based approach. According to WhoScored, Trafford is similarly a sweeper-keeper.
Last season, Muric made far more successful short passes (879) than any other Championship stopper. His long-range pass completion rate (49%) was best amongst regular starters, as were his saves (76.6%).We’ll likely find out before Gameweek 1 whether Kompany plans to remain loyal to Muric – himself only 24 years old, so it’s not about Trafford being the long-term successor. Perhaps he just wants genuine competition for the number-one spot.
There may have been an immediate clue on Saturday with Trafford immediately thrust into the starting XI against Genk, despite signing just two days earlier.
ames is a sound lad. He’s got a bright future and I think he’s going to help us already with his performances soon – and hopefully now.“But in the end, I think there’s no doubt about his talent and what he can become as a goalkeeper.” – Vincent Kompany, speaking after the defeat to Genk
IS TRAFFORD WORTH BUYING IN FPL?

With that uncertainty in mind, it’s probably best to stay away from Trafford in the early FPL weeks. Besides, the Clarets start against Man City before blanking in Gameweek 2, ranking bottom of our Season Ticker over the first eight weeks.
His £4.5m price point includes names like Jordan Pickford, Bernd Leno, Lukasz Fabianski, Mark Flekken and whoever establishes himself as Brighton and Hove Albion’s main man.Managers will likely observe from afar, waiting for both Burnley’s fixtures to improve and Kompany to decide his favourite.