Manchester United fans were left dreaming of the summer transfer window as Wout Weghorst struggled in defeat to Newcastle.
The Dutch striker managed only 10 touches of the ball in 62 minutes during the damaging 2-0 loss on the same day one of his potential replacements shined.
Benfica’s Goncalo Ramos netted the winner in a 1-0 victory over Rio Ave in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, making it 25 goals in all competitions this season.
In doing so, he became the youngest Benfica player to reach the tally in 60 years, with the last being footballing legend Eusebio.
The 21-year-old has become a first-team regular in Lisbon this season, and also broke into the Portugal squad at the expense of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo was dropped during the 2022 World Cup for the young striker, who proceeded to score a hat-trick in a last 16 game against Switzerland.
Even before his showing in Qatar, Ramos’ name had already been put alongside Man United’s, with the club seeking a big centre forward signing in the summer window.
Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Tottenham’s Harry Kane have also been linked with a move to Old Trafford, with Weghorst not looking like the answer.
The 30-year-old joined the Red Devils in January as a stop-gap replacement up front, signing on loan from Burnley for the remainder of the season.
Since then he is yet to score a Premier League goal, with both of his efforts coming in the Europa League and Carabao Cup.
Erik ten Hag was asked about Weghorst staying beyond the summer ahead of the game, and said: “Of course. I think he is doing a lot of elements of football really well — Wout is doing a really good job for us.”
You have to feel Man United fans might disagree…
