Anthony Elanga has made his stance clear on Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag after the Nottingham Forest player was quizzed on his exit from Old Trafford.
The Nottingham Forest forward came through the Manchester United youth academy and was once tipped as a future prospect at Old Trafford.
Anthony Elanga made 55 appearances for United’s first team and scored four times and registered four assists during his spell at Old Trafford.
Despite impressing during his time in the youth academy, the 21-year-old Swedish winger struggled to establish himself as a regular under United boss Erik ten Hag.
The Sweden international left United last summer and completed a move to Premier League side Forest, with the Red Devils reportedly receiving a £15m transfer fee.
Elanga has found success in his debut season at the City Ground and the former United player has scored five times in the Premier League for Forest.
The Sweden forward has started 16 Premier League matches for Forest in 23 appearances, with Elanga also picking up six assists for his side this season.
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Elanga talks Man Utd and Ten Hag
Speaking to Dutch outlet Soccer News, Anthony Elanga was asked if Erik ten Hag was the reason why he left Manchester United in 2023.
The Nottingham Forest player played down any rift with former Ajax boss Ten Hag and insisted that his focus was securing more regular first-team minutes.
“Whether Ten Hag was the reason I left United? No, I wouldn’t say that,” Elanga said.
“I just wanted to play, that was especially important to me. I’m young and I don’t want to sit on the bench all season, you know?
“When you’re young, you want to play, you want to make mistakes, you want to take risks.
“But he wasn’t the reason for my leaving. There [at Old Trafford] I mainly focused on myself, not on others.”
Elanga on if he worked under Ten Hag further
Elanga admitted that he is happy with his move to Forest, but he does believe that he could have succeeded under Ten Hag if he continued at United.
The Forest forward pointed to Ten Hag’s success at Ajax, having developed the likes of Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt under his watch at the Dutch side.
“Of course, I also saw what he did at Ajax,” Elanga added.
“But when you come to England, everything is different.
“He has made several players better, Ryan Gravenberch for example, who now plays at Liverpool.
“But I just wanted to take my chance and go somewhere else and that was a good decision because at Forest I’m having a good time.”
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/vOYqpQH