Following a hattrick of Anthony Elanga assists and a Chris Wood hattrick, Nottingham Forest thrashed Brighton & Hove Albion 7-0 in a Premier League match last Saturday, February 1, to consolidate their position in the top four of the league table.
They have 47 points from 24 matches at the moment.
Amid a number of other things, what stood out in Forest’s thumping win was the fact that Anthony Elanga registered a couple of assists by playing a couple of wonderful crosses from the right flank.
Elanga now has three goals and eight assists in 25 matches this season, which is better than the numbers of any winger in his previous club, Manchester United.
Manchester United Allowed Anthony Elanga to Leave and signed Antony
Elanga was allowed to leave United in 2023, as the Red Devils signed Antony from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022.
Antony has since scored 12 goals and registered three assists in 96 matches for United, with the 52 matches in the last two seasons seeing him score only four times.
It remains an enigma why United allowed Elanga to leave and replaced him with Antony.
The responsibility for that lies with their previous manager, Erik ten Hag, who was not good with his signings at United in general.
Elanga has now developed into a quality winger for a Nottingham Forest side that promises to ensure UEFA Champions League football for themselves next season.
Since leaving United, the Swede has now registered 17 assists in 64 matches for Nottingham Forest, which is a very decent return.
The recruitment at Manchester United has been quite regrettable and shambolic for the better part of the last decade or so.
Money has been spent inordinately to bring in a number of players that have been below-average for them.
Both Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho are promising youngsters and have been performing reasonably well for the Red Devils, but having Elanga in the side would have benefitted United a lot at the moment.
With both Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford gone from the club now, there is a real dearth of options for Manchester United in the wide areas.
Mason Greenwood, another very talented winger, also jeopardized his position at the club for reasons not related to football and left the club.
Not to mention that Jadon Sancho was also allowed to depart after an ugly spat with Ten Hag.
With Antony also ending his forgettable stint at United for the time being by moving to Real Betis on loan, the club is desperately missing a player like Elanga at the moment.
The club’s recruitment policy is something to be seriously held accountable for.
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Manchester United Have Done Little to Address the Issue in January
United have signed Patrick Dorgu, a left wing-back, from Lecce, but that seems to be all they have done at the moment.
Replacing Rashford and Antony in the squad for the remainder of the season will not be possible for them, therefore.
Languishing in the 13th position in the league table is definitely not something that is acceptable at Old Trafford.
However, being ordinary and underwhelming has become a norm at the club.
The introduction of INEOS has seemingly done very little so far to restore the club’s pride and position. Therefore, the situation is unlikely to improve this season at least.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Every Second Media
Recording Date: 01.02.2025