Wout Weghorst underlines desire to start for the Netherlands after the former Man United forward’s instant impact against Poland

Dutch matchwinner Wout Weghorst has declared that ‘being important again is super cool’ and that he wants to be a starter for the team in the Euros.

Weghorst’s manager Ronald Koeman has revealed that the 31-year-old – who arrived from the bench to secure a late win against Poland – made clear his disappointment about not being a starter for the Netherlands when they spoke before the tournament.

The Burnley player, who was most recently on loan at Hoffenheim, did not publicly challenge Koeman’s authority or team selection after the opening game win but he did underline his ambition to start.

Weghorst said: ‘I know where my strengths lie. The coach knows that too. In the stands, they were already saying: “If you keep going like this, you’ll never be a starter.” You know what it is. We’ve started something beautiful and cool. Of course, you want to play from the beginning and make as many minutes as possible. Ultimately, you just want to become European champion. As I’ve said many times before, I know I will have my value and be important.’

Weghorst, who failed to register a Premier League goal during his six-month loan spell at Manchester United last year, said he acted on instinct to take a ball from Nathan Ake and score the winner against Poland which could prove vital, given that the Dutch are in a challenging group, with France and Austria to come.

Weghorst scored the winner two minutes after coming off the bench against Poland on Sunday

Ronald Koeman admitted Weghorst has been disappointed at not being used from the start

‘Nathan had the ball and I don’t think [the pass] was meant for me but for Gini [Wijnaldum.] I instinctively backed off a bit. You can’t describe that. As a striker, you feel where the ball will come. Actually, it was an illogical move. You run towards the goal, but that’s the flow or a feeling. Then a feeling arises. That it happened again today is a bit strange.’

Weghorst has made a habit of scoring from the bench on these big occasions. Two late goals against Argentina in the World Cup quarter-final in Qatar helped take that game to penalties, before the Dutch lost.

But the view of Dutch fans remains mixed, to say the least. Many feel Weghorst is best deployed as the impact substitute he has become for the national team.

Koeman said of Weghorst: ‘He is aggressive he always takes initiative and is a good header as well. He has one chance and finds the net. This squad has a different way of acting and different players.’