An emotional Wout Weghorst scores his first goal at Old Trafford vs Real Betis, it meant so much

An emotional Wout Weghorst looked on the verge of tears as he celebrated scoring his first goal at Old Trafford.

The 30-year-old forward, who joined Erik ten Hag's side on a six-month loan deal from Burnley in January, has become somewhat of a fan favourite in recent weeks.

And on Thursday night, in United's 4-1 win over Real Betis in the Europa League, a delighted Weghorst ended an 11-game goal drought to score his first ever goal at the Theatre of Dreams.

After some great play from Facundo Pellistri on the right wing, the Netherlands international managed to follow up Scott McTominay's weak effort and poke home from close range.

Wout Weghorst scores his first goal at Old Trafford for Man Utd! ⚽

Look what it means! 😍#UEL pic.twitter.com/jn9FcRdr1n

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 9, 2023

Moments later, a relieved Weghorst ran towards a packed Stretford End, knee-sliding in delight as his teammates flooded around the 6ft 4in striker. You can see how much it meant.

Here's how fans reacted to Weghorst's goal at Old Trafford.

One said: "Deserved. Yeah he have wasted chances, but he has done everything right other than scoring before."

A second wrote: "Happy for this guy! He's work tirelessly on the pitch. Kept pressing the opposition defence. You can see he wants to prove something."

A third commented: "Very emotional celebration from Weghorst. It's been a tough few days for him and he will know he should have taken at least one of his earlier chances."

Weghorst emotional celebration shows how much he longed for this moment. I'm happy for him man. He's really passionate. pic.twitter.com/6MOW2W2UdS

— Derick Munene. (@Mderick_) March 9, 2023

Wout Weghorst looked in tears as he celebrated his goal.

The relief from the big Dutchman was palpable. #UEL

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/NdJ41Lw1ux

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) March 9, 2023

It has been a tough week for the former Wolfsburg striker.

He received backlash from fans after he touched the famous 'This is Anfield' sign ahead of their humiliating 7-0 defeat to Liverpool, and was accused of failing to understand the rivalry between both clubs.

The Dutchman went on to explain that his only intention was to "wind up" Virgil van Dijk before kick-off.

"From the National team I know that Virgil always touches that sign and I went to stop him touching it to try and wind him up before the game," he said in a statement.

"As a child I always supported FC Twente, and as a proud player for Manchester United, my dedication to this incredible club can never be questioned."

Thoughts on Weghorst's impact at United since coming in? Should they sign him on a permanent deal?

Let us know in the comments.