Wout Weghorst: Man Utd's unlikely cult hero winning new fans after epic FA Cup celebrations

Given Weghorst has only scored two goals in 24 appearances for United and is still yet to find the net in the Premier League, many fans were dreading the thought of him taking him penalty in the shootout.

There was even more pressure on him given it was sudden death and Brighton had scored the first penalty, meaning a miss would have ended United's FA Cup journey there and then.

But just as in the Netherlands' penalty shootout against Argentina in the World Cup, Weghorst kept his cool from the spot.

And against Brighton he was the picture of calm, sending Robert Sanchez the wrong way and rolling the ball along the floor into the net.

Whoever said the 6'6 striker was a donkey?

What Weghorst did next was equally pivotal.

He grabbed the ball after scoring and gave it a knowing kiss. He then presented it to Solly March, the only United player to hand the ball to the next Brighton taker during the whole shootout.

David de Gea also did his part in psyching out the midfielder by having a quiet word with him before taking it.

No matter how minimal Weghorst and De Gea's actions might seem, they clearly had some kind of impact, as March ballooned his penalty over the bar.

Lindelof became United's hero when he placed the decisive spot-kick into the top corner of the net, but do not underestimate Weghorst's role in the shootout victory.

Weghorst's knee slide was not the only time he had sought to rev up United's fans during the game.

Deep into extra-time, he drew a foul from compatriot Joel Veltman by the corner flag, winning a dangerous free-kick.

He did not waste the opportunity to get in the faces of United's fans, imploring them to make some noise for what was a good scoring chance.

As it happened, Marcel Sabitzer wasted the opportunity, sending the free-kick high across the box and away to safety for Brighton.

Weghorst started his first 19 matches forUnited after cutting short his loan spell at Besiktas to head to Old Trafford.

His ability to retain his place in the starting line up despite offering not much of a goal threat confused a lot of United fans, and the truth was he was only remained in the team because Anthony Martial was still recovering from injury.

Since the Frenchman has returned to full fitness, Weghorst has not started a game, and the harsh truth is that Martial makes the team much better than the Dutchman. He can hold the ball up better, makes more intelligent passes and is far more likely to score.

However, Martial was terrible against Brighton. He lacked energy, his passing was sloppy and he missed the target with his one chance.

With Brighton having 60 percent of possession, this was a game which suited Weghorst far more than Martial, and the Dutchman was far more effective than his fellow striker in the 19 minutes he was on the pitch.

Despite his efforts at Wembley, United should not even flirt with the idea of making Weghorst's loan move from Burnley permanent. He simply does not have the quality needed for a Manchester United striker.

For a team that wants to build on this encouraging season and challenge for the Premier League title, two goals and three assists in four months are not nearly good enough.

All the passion, hard work and goodwill from fans in the world cannot compensate for his lack of output.

His shortcomings have been most evident against the top sides, and he offered very little in the defeats to Arsenal, Newcastle or the harrowing 7-0 thrashing at Liverpool.

There are plenty of top, young strikers United should be targeting for next season and Weghorst is not one of them.

But that does not mean Weghorst's time at the club has been a failure.

Faced with no transfer budget and a Cristiano Ronaldo-sized hole to fill, he was a low-cost, short-term option. He has not exceeded expectations, but he has done OK.

Of the 19 matches he has started, United have won 12, drawn four and lost three. Against many opponents, he has proved a useful foil for Marcus Rashford. And he has helped United reach two domestic cup finals in the same season for only the third time.

He got an assist in the Carabao Cup final victory over Newcastle and played his own part in United sneaking past Brighton.

He will be heading back to Wembley for a third time against Manchester City in June and, if used wisely, can help United's mission to bust their noisy neighbours' treble ambitions.

And if they somehow end up beating Pep Guardiola's side, Weghorst will be running straight towards the United fans again.