Elanga rubs salt in Ten Hag's wounds with telling Man Utd transfer remark

31 December 2023 , 10:02

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Elanga rubs salt in Ten Hag's wounds with telling Man Utd transfer remark

Ex-Manchester United star Anthony Elanga claimed Nottingham Forest’s win against the Red Devils was “personal”.

The Swedish winger shone in a 2-1 victory for the Midlands side at the City Ground. Elanga was on hand to tee-up Morgan Gibbs-White for his winning goal, following prior strikes from Nicolas Dominguez and Marcus Rashford.

Elanga's record now sits at four goals and six assists since his summer switch to Forest. The former United academy graduate claims his sparkling form justifies his exit after a difficult period at Old Trafford, while suggesting the win against his former employers was a driving factor for him.

“Last season wasn’t easy for me because I’d play five or 10 minutes, then I wouldn’t play for 10 games, I’d be in-and-out, in-and-out,” he told BBC Sport. “I just stayed strong.

“I had my family supporting me, it’s been difficult when I hadn’t even been in the squad. This game was kind of personal for me because I wanted to prove that…listen I’m capable of playing at a high level.

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“I’m just grateful for Nottingham Forest for bringing me in. Before the game I tried to put my emotions aside and just stay as professional as I could. Today, not just me, but the whole team played really well.

Anthony Elanga celebrates Nottingham Forest's win against Manchester United (Getty Images)

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“That assist for Morgan was special because that puts me on double figures. Last year I don’t think I scored. Now I’m on four goals and six assists, I just want to keep pushing and working hard because I feel like the sky’s the limit.”

Forest’s win against United is another impressive result for new boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who has won two out of his opening three games after replacing Steve Cooper at the City Ground.

Explaining how Forest managed to overcome the Red Devils, Elanga added: “We had a game plan that we wanted to stick by and obviously Nuno and the rest of the staff have come in and brought a sense of calmness to the club. We stuck to the game plan, each and every single one of us played really well, we worked hard and got the result in the end.”

The 21-year-old will be aiming to keep up his hot form next weekend with Forest in FA Cup action. The Reds take on Blackpool at the City Ground in the third round of the competition.

Elsewhere, United will also be back in action as they travel to Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup before a showdown with Tottenham at Old Trafford in mid-January.

Daniel Orme