Manchester United's promising star Anthony Elanga was sent to Nottingham Forest for £1,500 during last summer's transfer campaign, a high-profile move. However, since leaving Manchester United, Elanga has been impressive this season, scoring five goals and providing seven assists in 25 Premier League appearances as a winger, establishing him as an up-and-coming star in football. Recently, The Times interviewed him, revealing his idol in the football world and the reasons behind his departure from Manchester United.
Like Garnacho, another Academy graduate of Manchester United, Elanga's football idol is also Cristiano Ronaldo. However, unlike others who became fans of Ronaldo during his glory days, Elanga only really realised his greatness when he was on the same team as Ronaldo. Anthony Elanga admits that he never imagined a star like Cristiano Ronaldo to be so approachable and go out of his way to impart experience to an average academy player. At one point, Anthony Elanga was depressed by missing a penalty, but Ronaldo approached him personally and encouraged him to cheer up, as he himself had experienced similar setbacks. These words touched Elanga deeply and made him focus more on football.
Leaving Manchester United was a difficult decision for Elanga. He spent nine years in the Academy at Manchester United and has a lot of affection for Old Trafford. In the 2021 season, Elanga showed his potential by scoring one goal in two games at just 17 years old. In the 21-22 season, he made 27 appearances for Manchester United, starting 16 of them, scoring three goals and providing two assists. However, in the 22-23 season, with the arrival of Ten Hag, Elanga suddenly lost his place in the main team, getting only seven starts, no goals and only two assists. Ten Hag's arrival also meant the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, which deepened Elanga's determination to leave Manchester United, so he submitted a transfer application to Manchester United at the end of the season, and eventually joined Nottingham Forest for £18 million and became the heart of the team.
In the interview, Anthony Elanga also expressed his best wishes to Manchester United, wishing them a good result this season and qualifying for the Champions League. At the same time, he also sent a message to his junior, Garnacho, hoping that he can continue to improve at Manchester United.
When asked how he would face his former club Manchester United, Elanga smiled bitterly and said that as a professional footballer, he must give his all against any opponent. Especially in the face of the old club, it is more necessary to prove their strength and value to them.
Manchester United will face Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup on the 29th, and perhaps in this game, we will be able to witness how Elanga proves his worth to his former club.