Wout Weghorst is heading home again. The 33-year-old striker left Ajax this week to join FC Twente, and in doing so he’ll reunite with his old Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, who now works as Twente’s sporting director. It’s a deal that flew under the radar a bit given Weghorst is currently at the World Cup with the Netherlands, but it’s official.
Weghorst’s time at Ajax lasted just two seasons. He scored 20 goals in 65 appearances across all competitions, which isn’t terrible but apparently wasn’t enough to keep him in Amsterdam. He’s now on to his fifth Dutch club, which is a lot for a 33-year-old. For context, before he ever left the Netherlands for Germany in 2018, he played for FC Emmen, Heracles, and AZ Alkmaar.
His best stretch came at Alkmaar, where he bagged 45 goals in 86 games and earned a move to Wolfsburg. In the Bundesliga he was legit, scoring 70 times in 144 appearances. That got Burnley’s attention in 2022, but his time in England was a mess. He only played 22 games across multiple loan spells and managed just two goals for the Clarets. He spent chunks of that contract bouncing to Besiktas and Hoffenheim before joining Manchester United on loan in January 2023.
A Short and Strange United Spell
That half-season under Ten Hag at Old Trafford was weird. Weghorst worked hard, pressed defenders, and gave United some shape up front, but the goals just weren’t there. Two goals in 31 games for a striker is rough. Still, Ten Hag clearly saw something in him — enough to bring him to Twente now that both are back in the Eredivisie.
Weghorst’s international career has been a different story. He’s scored 18 goals for the Netherlands, including some big ones off the bench in knockout tournaments. He’s the kind of player who frustrates in a possession system but can be a weapon late in games when a team just needs to smash crosses into the box.
What Twente Gets
FC Twente is playing in Europe next season and trying to compete domestically. They need a veteran presence up front who can handle two games a week. Weghorst is 6-foot-6, experienced, and still has enough left to cause problems for tired defenses. It’s not a flashy signing, but it’s a smart one for a team that needs a reliable target man.
Ten Hag clearly remembers what Weghorst brought to United even when the goals didn’t come. Energy, physicality, experience. He’s hoping that translates into something more productive in a system where Weghorst is the main guy, not a loanee trying to fit in.
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