New Manchester United signing Wout Weghorst is adamant his willingness to press makes him a good fit for Erik ten Hag's style of play at Old Trafford.
The Netherlands international completed a loan move from Burnley on Friday after United secured his release from a temporary stay at Besiktas in Turkey.
Weghorst was in the stands the following day as United came from behind to beat Manchester City 2-1 at Old Trafford in the derby, with Bruno Fernandes scoring the equaliser before Marcus Rashford got the winner.
Victory moved Erik ten Hag's men to within a point of second-placed City, highlighting the remarkable improvement instigated at the club by the new manager, who is seemingly maximising the team's potential.
Nevertheless, they have often been stretched in terms of their attacking options, particularly since Cristiano Ronaldo's acrimonious November exit, and Weghorst emerged as a surprise target earlier this month.
While some supporters may not have been enthused about the arrival of a forward who only scored twice as Burnley were relegated last season, the fact he engaged in the fourth-most pressures (54.1) per 90 minutes in the league (minimum 1,000 minutes played) in 2021-22 saw him dubbed a "pressing monster" in the media.
He believes this approach aligns itself to that of his new manager, as he told United's official website: "I think [pressing] is something that's one of my strengths. Especially without the ball, to put pressure on an opponent [and] be active.
"That's something I am capable of and that's also something in the way the trainer [Ten Hag] wants to play.
"He wants to play aggressive; he wants to go high on the pitch, try to recover the ball there, as quickly as possible, and I think I can help the team with that."
Weghorst was considered a disappointment following his brief spell in the Premier League with Burnley, as his poor goals return did not match the expectations that came with his reputation.
The Clarets reportedly paid £12million (€14m) to Wolfsburg for the striker, but he averaged only one Premier League goal every 10 appearances and was loaned to Besiktas when Burnley dropped into the second tier.
He is desperate to prove a point upon his return to England.
"For me, it was not done, it was not finished," he continued. "It didn't work out the first time as I hoped and I'm really hungry to show myself, to help the team.
"Of course, we are on a really good track now. The last couple of weeks, months actually, it's going really positive [at United] and I just want to contribute and give my best and give my all for the club and try to be a part of the successful [direction] we are going."
In terms of the direction United are going, Weghorst has no doubt where he sees the destination being.
"Trophies. That's quite easy. Trophies, and that's also what the manager told me about, the expectations that are there.
"Also my role, that's also something I want to bring. Like I said, I'm just going to give everything I have for the club to be successful, to win the games and, of course, to win trophies.
"We are still active in four competitions, so four trophies to go, that's the only thing that's counting, and I think also that fits for a big a club as United is."
Tatum on White's buzzer-beater: 'That s*** was crazy!'
Boston Celtics hero Derrick White said "It just had to be won" after his buzzer-beating tip-in forced the Eastern Conference finals to Game 7, as Jayson Tatum added: "That s*** was crazy!"
From 3-0 down against the Miami Heat, the Celtics have fought back to 3-3 in the series, and are now just one win away from making history.
White grabbed and then sank the rebound from Marcus Smart's failed three-pointer with 0.1 seconds remaining to seal a 104-103 victory in Miami on Saturday.
The Celtics are now on the brink of the greatest comeback in NBA playoffs history, needing a win at home in Game 7 on Monday to become the first team to win a series after losing the first three games.
Boston are only the fourth NBA team to erase a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series to force a deciding game.
Reflecting on the game-winning moment, Tatum told reporters: "I'm still, like, in disbelief. That s*** was crazy.
"That felt like the longest 10 seconds ever waiting for confirmation if he made it or not."
White told TNT: "It had to be won. Whatever it takes, our backs against our wall, it just had to be won.
"We're a resilient group. We pick each other up, we bond for each other.
"The job isn't done yet, we've got a tough one Game 7, we've got to find a way to get one more win."
White had tears sparkling in his eyes, but explained: "I'm just happy. So far, so good."
It is just the second time in league history that a player has hit a buzzer-beater when his team was down and facing elimination, after Michael Jordan's legendary "The Shot", way back in 1989.
"Derrick White, like a flash of lightning, just came out of nowhere and saved the day, man," team-mate Jaylen Brown added. "An incredible play."
The Heat can only lick their wounds as they head to Boston for Monday's winner-takes-all matchup.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said: "It's a seven-game series. There's nothing better than Game 7s.
"I don't know how we're going to get this done, but we're going to go out there and get it done, and that's what the next 48 hours is about.
"There's been nothing easy about this season for our group, and so we just have to do it the hard way."
Jimmy Butler did his best for Miami, with 24 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
"We've got to go on the road and do something special, but we've got a special group," Butler said.
Gareth Southgate knows Euro 2024 must go ‘very, very well’ to keep England job
Gareth Southgate knows next year’s Euros will have to go extremely well for it to be a “possibility in anybody’s eyes” for him to stay on as England manager.
The 52-year-old was parachuted into the hotseat following Sam Allardyce’s ignominious exit in 2016 and has gone on to oversee the national team’s best spell since winning the World Cup.
England reached the 2018 semi-finals before losing the delayed Euro 2020 final in an agonising penalty shoot-out defeat to Italy at Wembley.
There were more signs of progress as the team were edged out by France at last year’s World Cup, but a challenging year meant Southgate had to weigh up whether to see out his contract until 2024.
The England boss decided to stay on after a week of contemplation following Qatar, but next summer’s European Championship could prove his last finals in charge.
“My contract is until the December,” Southgate said. “That was always put in place because it would allow everybody reflection time, really.”
Asked if the Euros would be his last tournament, Southgate said: “Who knows?
“I think we’ll have to go very, very well for that to be a possibility in anybody’s eyes and that’s fair enough. I’m more than comfortable with that.
“My aim is to try and win the tournament and everything I do is geared around that and every conversation I have with the players now is geared around that.
“So, what will happen in the future at the moment it isn’t at the forefront of my mind, but trying to win this European Championship is.”
England are third favourites with the bookmakers to triumph in Germany next year, and that is all the manager is focused on right now.
‘Succession’ is a buzzword thanks to the popular US TV series, but Southgate has not seen the show and was unwilling to talk about potential candidates for a job he cares deeply about.
“Whatever (input) John (McDermott, Football Association technical director) and everybody else at the FA would like, really,” he said.
“I’m not precious about it. If I could help in any way, at whatever point. I try to do that now with involvement in the pro licence, with reaching out to English coaches.
“We’ve had people in to have the odd day here and there with us at training.
“That’s not my decision but I’d always help English football as much as I can.
“At whatever point I leave here, hopefully we’ve won something, but if I’m the second most successful I’ll be more than happy to become third very quickly.
“I joined here to help English football and that will never change for me.”
England’s immediate focus is taking a giant stride towards Germany by beating Malta and North Macedonia in June, but for a number of players their future is up in the air.
Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham are subject of widespread speculation, while a lack of game-time is an issue for Southgate’s favourites Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips.
“There’s potentially a lot of movement with that squad we’ve picked across the summer, but I think it will be later in the summer,” the England boss said.
“It doesn’t worry me how it plays out. I think as a player you always back yourself. You’ve got to.
“You’ve got to have the mentality that ‘wherever I go I’m going to force my way into the team’ until such point as which it becomes apparent where ‘maybe I’ve got to go’.
“And maybe we’ve got a couple in the squad who’ve got that decision to go through in their own minds this summer.”
That self-confidence has paid dividends for Jack Grealish, who struggled to make the desired impact in his first season at Manchester City.
But the 27-year-old has come on leaps and bounds this term under Pep Guardiola, who Southgate considers the best coach in the world.
“I’m a huge admirer,” the England boss said. “He knows that, I’ve told him.
“Of course it’s been brilliant for our players to work with him and they have learned individually, tactically and, probably as much as anything, that mentality.
“You mention Jack, he’s played properly, I would say, in this period. You know, against Real Madrid with and without the ball.
“That wasn’t the case two-and-a-half years ago, if I’m honest, so there’s been a lot of progress.”
Erik ten Hag confident Marcus Rashford can score 40 goals in a season
Erik ten Hag believes ever-improving Manchester United star Marcus Rashford can become a 40-goal-a-season forward.
The 25-year-old pressed reset last summer after the most chastening year of his career, kicked off by his heart-breaking penalty shoot-out miss in England’s Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy.
Post-tournament shoulder surgery kept Rashford sidelined and an initial flurry of goals on his return quickly dried up amid widespread criticism.
But a priceless pre-season under new boss Ten Hag led to a resurgence, with Rashford scoring his 30th goal of the season in all competitions in Thursday’s 4-1 win over Chelsea.
Rashford’s best haul saw him become the first United player to reach 30 goals since Robin van Persie a decade ago, but Ten Hag believes the best is yet to come.
“There’s a lot of room for improvement in his game,” the United boss said ahead of Sunday’s Premier League finale against Fulham. “I’m convinced he could score even more.
“I think when you take, for instance, the last 10 games, he didn’t score so many goals. I think only two or three.
“So, yeah, he can improve but I am happy from where he was last season to what he did now, that he brings himself back.
“We supported him where we could, with the way of play but also in his mental mindset, so we are happy with that.
“But, yeah, we have to push for more and I am sure he’s capable to score 40 goals in a season, to make also for him the next step.”
Asked if Rashford’s form takes the pressure off getting a striker in the summer, Ten Hag said: “We need across the squad more scoring abilities.
“You can’t be dependent on one. But it can also come from this squad, but we need more scoring abilities.”
Ten Hag has stressed the need for additions and internal improvements after a promising first season in the dugout.
United won February’s Carabao Cup and face Manchester City in the FA Cup final after wrapping up a Champions League return with a game to spare.
“We have to look to ourselves,” Ten Hag said about the next step. “We want to win the cup but that is for next Saturday and we have to do everything that’s in our power.
“I think in many aspects we can improve with this group of players, with this team. I know where we have to improve. I think there is a lot of room for improvement, yes.”
Ten Hag feels “fantastic in this club” and says Manchester feels like a home away from home, where the reaction to people he meets on the street is “absolutely positive”.
That feedback would be even greater from the red half of the city if United can stop rivals City’s treble charge at Wembley in the FA Cup final.
Asked if the FA Cup final was a free hit given what they have achieved already and City’s standing or a chance to send a statement, Ten Hag retorted: “Both not.
“But when I was here one year ago, I said we wanted to win trophies. We have won one, so we want to go for the highest.
“But that is a long, long way, it’s going to be a project. That’s not over one year. We’re talking over one to three years.
“But when there’s an opportunity to win a trophy, for every player it’s massive.
“I have to count but there are not so many players in our team, in our squad who have won the FA Cup. The FA Cup is huge for everyone in the world.
“You can have won the Champions League, you can have won so many titles, but when you have the opportunity to win the FA Cup, it goes all over the world, global-wide, a huge reputation.
“I know from the Netherlands how big the FA Cup is, so we have the opportunity to win that.
“We are also realistic (that) it’s not going to be easy but I can assure you one thing: we will give everything that’s in our power to get the cup.”
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