Ronald Koeman admits Wout Weghorst was 'upset' to start on the bench against Poland (Image: Getty)
Ronald Koeman admits Wout Weghorst was upset at being benched before he came on to win the game for Holland against Poland on Sunday. Weghorst found the net two minutes into his cameo to seal a vital comeback win for the Dutch, who scraped past Poland 2-1 in their Euro 2024 opener.
Adam Buksa gave the Poles a shock lead early on before goals from Cody Gakpo and super-sub Weghorst turned the dial in Holland’s favour.
"I try to explain to every individual player the possibilities for starting or coming on in the second half when we need a different player," explained Koeman in his post-match press conference.
"When I spoke to Wout about his role, he was a little bit upset and that’s a good reaction. He was upset and doing a lot to get the opportunity to start. That’s a great mentality from the player."
Weghorst’s emphatic cameo has raised questions about whether he could be thrown in from the start ahead of Memphis Depay against France on Friday.
Koeman said: "Of course he can start. He’s started other games and that’s an option. We will see what the best is for the team, not what the best is for the player."
Wout Weghorst didn't manage a single Premier League goal during his time at Man Utd (Image: Getty)
Weghorst is still on the books at Burnley despite not having played for the Clarets for over two years. One of his three loan spells while at Turf Moor took him to Manchester United for the second half of 2022/23.
Despite arriving at Old Trafford after several prolific months with Turkish side Besiktas, Weghorst played 17 Premier League games for the Red Devils without finding the net, and only managed two goals in all competitions.
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The 31-year-old rediscovered his scoring touch on loan at Hoffenheim last term, earning him a spot in Koeman's Euros squad. And he has built up some credit in the bank after firing the Oranje to a hard-fought victory over Poland.
"We were dominant in the first half, and were the better team," Weghorst said after the game. "We created six or seven really, really good chances. But we have to be more clinical and then you can make things easier, but we didn't do that."
