Wout Weghorst, the Netherlands cult hero, hands Koeman a dilemma
Striker’s winner against Poland continued strong scoring run but can he displace Depay against France?
Nothing Like Oranje is the Netherlands’ strap line and quite frankly there is nobody like Wout Weghorst. When the Dutch team bus departed the Volksparkstadion on the fringes of Hamburg at 6.12pm, victory over Poland safely stowed thanks to his super-sub heroics, there could not have been a more popular passenger on board. Weghorst finished the game very much front and centre. Ronald Koeman’s side got increasingly itchy feet after growing restless in search of a winner but with a single whoosh of the left boot, his first touch two minutes after stepping off the bench, Weghorst earned a 2-1 win to ensure a pitch-perfect start to the tournament.
Quite what Koeman does with Weghorst from here is the intriguing bit. About half an hour after Weghorst left the pitch to a sea of orange shirts singing his name, the Netherlands head coach was fielding questions about whether he would promote the striker to his starting lineup against France in Leipzig on Friday. Could Koeman turn to the Burnley striker from the off in the Group D glamour tie?