Anthony Elanga hints Erik ten Hag decision has backfired - "It is frustrating"

26 March 2023 , 09:41

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Antony Elanga is frustrated with his current role at Manchester United (Image: Aftonbladet)

Anthony Elanga has admitted that he is "frustrated" with his current role at Manchester United after he was prevented from leaving the club on loan in January.

The Swedish international, 20, flourished under Ralf Rangnick and was a regular last term under the interim chief but has struggled for starts since Erik ten Hag's arrival, with the majority of the winger's 24 appearances coming from the bench.

Elanga has played just 49 minutes of senior football since the end of January, where he was the subject of interest from numerous suitors, including Barcelona and Everton. But with Ten Hag reluctant to weaken his squad, Elanga was prevented from exploring a temporary switch.

And after he was an unused substitute in Sweden's 3-0 defeat against Belgium on Friday night, Elanga opened up his current situation. He told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet: "It is frustrating. You want to play, it’s important. But whether you play or not, it’s up to the coach, not me."

He continued: "I have spoken to Erik and it is private between the two of us. I know what he wants me to do and I just keep training hard. When the opportunity comes, I just have to be ready to take it. We have a lot of conversations, not only about [the lack of game time] but also what is happening around. That’s the good thing about the club, we talk a lot and they help me a lot."

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While Elanga admits there were "talks" about him leaving the club on loan in January, he is reluctant to dwell on what could have been.

Join the debate! Do you think Elanga should be playing more often for Man Utd? Let us know here.

Elanga hasn't been a regular starter under Erik ten Hag

When he was asked about interest from Barcelona, he added: "That was in January, I can’t focus on that now. The best thing I can do is focus on the rest of the season [with United] and then I will get to talk to the club. I love the club, but it’s important for me to play. I’m still young. We have spoken to the club and they know what is required and I know what is required."

The Manchester Evening News revealed earlier this month that Manchester United are ready to allow Elanga to head out on loan next year to continue his development.

And Ten Hag has already stressed that the youngster still has a big future at Old Trafford - even if his first-team opportunities have been restricted this year. The United chief previously told Viaplay Sweden: "He's doing well and he's a young guy. Last year, he came in for a lot of games and this year, obviously, I would say it's normal to drop down in minutes.

"But you can see today he's quite mature and I was happy with his performance. His runs behind were good, he was composed on the ball, his pressing was good. His performance today was good. You can see the power lacked a little bit, like when you don't have a run of games. I'm happy to work with him. He has big potential. I think he can have a really good position in world football."

Dan Marsh