Rio Ferdinand believes members of the Manchester United team will be baffled by Erik ten Hag's confidence in Wout Weghorst and decides to let Burnley play on loan as No 10.
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People raised eyebrows when United signed Dutch striker Weghorst on loan from Championship club Burnley during the January transfer window.
Despite his admirable performance, Weghorst has struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford, scoring just two goals in 27 appearances.
The 30-year-old spent another uncomfortable night on Sunday as Manchester United were beaten 1-0 by relegation-threatened West Ham and substituted after an hour.
Ferdinand couldn't understand why Ten Hag let Weghorst kick No 10 and assumed the decision would upset some of the other Theater of Dreams players. "I just think that Manchester United's No 10 - a 10 for a top team - doesn't look to me like a Weghorst, with the qualities he has," Ferdinand told BT Sport.
“Look at it another way, if I were Sancho, Bruno [Fernandes], Garnacho, Martial and I were sitting there watching him line up 10 in front of me…
"The number 10 shirt has another meaning, it's a player who can be creative, has tricks, can move between lines, turn around and get others to play in that direction and score goals.
“Weghorst doesn't deliver on what I just said there…I think his best game today was a tackle in his own box. He's number 10. That's not what 10s are known for.
Former England striker Peter Crouch agrees with Ferdinand's comments about Weghorst, adding:
“He is a good player but I cannot understand what he has contributed to this position. “I think if you play Weghorst you have to put him up so Rashford and Sancho can pass the ball to him, you can play one touch and then he's in the box to do anything. which cross.
"If you play that way, you're not getting the best out of him."
The 0-1 defeats in a row leave Manchester United fourth in the Premier League, one point ahead of Liverpool, who have played one game less.
In the race for the top four, Ten Hag said:
“Throughout this season, we have had terrible defeats and every time we recover, we show our bravery and move on.
“We cannot feel sorry for ourselves. We have to go on and show character. It only has four games. You need energy. Get ready for games, release your mind, energy, focus and go.
Manchester United, which won the Carabao Cup earlier this year and will face Manchester City in the FA Cup final, will return to action next weekend against Wolves.
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