Anthony Elanga came back to haunt his former club as Nottingham Forest beat Manchester United at The City Ground on Tuesday evening. Forest went into the match as favourites and it didn't take long at all for Elanga to give them the lead.
With just five minutes on the clock, Forest's star winger picked up the ball well inside his own half and proceeded to run the whole length of the pitch and give his side an early advantage. That proved to be the only goal of the game as Forest picked up all three points.
Ruben Amorim Asked About Anthony Elanga After Match
His answer was brilliant
Elanga celebrates
Elanga, just 22 years old, has been mightily impressive since leaving Man United to join Forest in a £15m deal in 2023. He has been a big reason why Forest are flying high near the top of the Premier League table, having hit the back of the net six times and recorded eight assists this season.
Meanwhile, his former club, United, are really struggling. They have only scored 37 goals this term; only six clubs in England's top tier have scored fewer. There's a strong argument to be made that Elanga, should he have decided to stay at the Red Devils, would be a key player for them right now. That's a feeling shared by some United fans, who have claimed Erik ten Hag's decision to allow him to leave United was one of the biggest blunders of his reign at Old Trafford.
GMS_Elanga
Amorim was asked to give his thoughts on Elanga following the match. In an interview with beiN Sports, the Portuguese manager was asked whether it was frustrating to see the winger performing for Forest after leaving United just under two years ago. Amorim brushed off the question as he replied:
"No. They have to perform at Manchester United. We cannot look at the players that go away, they had their chance. You have to look at the players inside United, not outside. I'm focused on my team and improving my team."
Amorim again touched on Elanga in his post-match press conference. He said of the Swedish winger: "We are talking about a lot of players who were at Manchester United who are doing right, but they had the chance here. At United, you don't have the time. I will not have the time. We have to get it right fast.
"They were here and here the pressure is too big sometimes. Sometimes you don't have time and you should have time for these kids to develop. For that you need a strong base. If you don't have it, we are not going to help our kids. They had their chances and sometimes the pressure playing for Manchester United is really big."
United's attention now turns to the Manchester derby on Sunday afternoon. Forest travel to Aston Villa the day prior, where they will look to further increase their chances of finishing in the top four this campaign.