As 21 other players seemingly waited in expectation for an overhit pass to drift out for a goal kick, many stood static looking on, Anthony Elanga turned on the afterburners and somehow kept the most lost of all lost causes in play.
Had he been a cartoon character, he would have had flames burning from his heels as he raced 25 yards before stopping the ball just the right side of the line. Wile E. Coyote and his entire stock of ACME contraptions would not have caught him.
This turn of speed was one of the main reasons Nottingham Forest paid £15million ($19.2m) to Manchester United to sign the Sweden international. The desire and determination he demonstrated even in a pre-season friendly defeat to Leeds on Thursday was another.
Forest do their homework on new additions; their character is analysed as intensively as their data. In Elanga, Forest were aware that they were signing a player with the mental attributes to flourish, as well as the physical qualities to thrive.
Elanga, in theory, should slot into a Forest side that likes to strike on the counter-attack, with pace, directness and purpose. Beyond that one moment on the pitch, he has also already suggested he will fit in behind the scenes as well.
“It was a positive sign, that moment, wasn’t it? He was fast enough as well, wasn’t he? It was good to see him play with that level of commitment from the start,” said head coach Steve Cooper after the loss to Leeds at Burton Albion’s Pirelli Stadium. “You have to have the right attitude and mentality.
“A player with an open mind to learning is a player you want to work with. He is an intelligent guy. He speaks a few different languages. He has good social skills. You can see how he interacts with staff and the other players. He just holds himself well. He has been brought up well. That will help him to be an elite athlete. I am looking forward to working with him.”
At 21, Elanga is young enough not to have to be included in the 25-man senior squad for the Premier League. Forest believe he is a player who can make an instant impact but who, with the right environment and nurturing, will only improve. He is an investment.
“He’s got an X-factor,” said Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after giving Elanga his senior team debut at the end of the 2020-21 season. “He’s got the acceleration, pace, speed… that’s a given for wingers and he’s got qualities I like.”
Elanga would go on to become a small bright spot in a disappointing 2021-2022 campaign, moving ahead of Marcus Rashford in the queue for attacking places and becoming the preferred starting option on the right for interim manager Ralf Rangnick. He is a pacy and direct wide attacker, comfortable on either flank but most commonly seen on the right when used by various Manchester United managers.
Rangnick enjoyed Elanga due to the winger’s eagerness to run in behind defences rather than demand the ball be played into his feet. He would score three goals and earn two assists across 27 senior team appearances that season. He was well-liked by Rangnick partly because Elanga would adhere to instructions and do what was asked of him, especially when it came to the head coach’s defensive demands.
But, at United, he was also someone who picked up the ball in dangerous areas; not so much an on-ball creator, but instead someone who applies the final touches to counter-attacking moves.
Elanga was the winner of the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in 2020 and his team-mates and coaches have been full of praise for his personable manner and professional approach to the game across his years at Manchester United.
“If you ask him at half-time to run over to the cricket ground and get us a drink, he’d do it. That’s the type of lad he is,” said Solskjaer.
“He’s working very hard, he’s a very, very nice kid I have to say — very polite, respectful and I think he’s the future of our club,.” said Nemanja Matic in February 2022.
Those close to the player have termed him as “refreshingly boring” in his interests dedicated to improving his game rather than engaging in other pastimes. Elanga’s physical development over the past three seasons has been stark, with the player often in the gym at Carrington looking to develop his body to better cope with the physicality of senior football.
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