Anthony Elanga has reminded everybody at Manchester United why Ralf Rangnick valued him so highly following Nottingham Forest’s recent win over Rúben Amorim’s side.
Manchester United suffered their 13th Premier League defeat of the season on Tuesday evening, losing 1-0 away to Nottingham Forest after Anthony Elanga’s early goal proved decisive.
United began positively, with Bruno Fernandes threatening the Forest goal early on, but it was the hosts who struck first. Just five minutes into the match, Elanga picked up the ball deep in his own half, sprinted clear of the United defence, and neatly finished past André Onana.
As the half wore on, Rúben Amorim’s side gained greater control of the match but struggled to break down Forest’s disciplined defence. At the break, Amorim made an attacking change, sending on Rasmus Højlund for Manuel Ugarte in an attempt to bolster his side’s attacking threat.
United dominated possession in the second half and pushed forward repeatedly, with Mason Mount coming closest to equalising late on. However, Forest stood firm, with Murillo making an exceptional goal-line clearance deep into stoppage time to deny Amorim’s side a draw.
Ultimately, Nuno Espírito Santo’s team secured another vital win at The City Ground, while Manchester United were left frustrated and without reward once again.
Rangnick’s Elanga comments resurface
United let go of Elanga in 2023 for a £15 million transfer fee after not playing enough football under Erik ten Hag. Still, the season prior, he had broken out under caretaker boss Ralf Rangnick, who was appreciative of the player’s relentless abilities.
Elanga was always known to be a freak athlete at United, with his power and athleticism on display on Tuesday evening, and much of the praise he received after the game was surrounding his dedication and attitude.
Speaking in 2022, Rangnick said similar. “He is playing as though it is a dream come true, it is a joy and fun to watch him play, I wish a few other players would take him as an example and as a role model.
“He’s just enjoying himself on the pitch and he’s fully aware of his strengths, his assets, his weapons. He’s always trying to play and show those weapons.”
Amorim must heed Rangnick’s words in the transfer window
Rangnick’s damning statement about other United players not having the same attitude as Elanga was seen back then as a dig at Marcus Rashford, who was underperforming at that moment.
However, the German’s words still ring true within Amorim’s current set up, with many of United’s players having been accused of either poor attitudes or not working hard enough.
As the club head into their first summer window with Amorim’s priorities at the forefront of their mind, the club must look to bring in the type of player Rangnick is talking about – those who are playing football as a dream come true, and bring joy to the club.
However, these players must be working hard and applying the right attitude to succeed under their head coach, which has been a crux of bygone talents seen at Old Trafford across the last decade.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.