Anthony Elanga kept his celebration subdued after netting a stunning solo goal against Manchester United, but the subtle smile on his face revealed his quiet satisfaction at scoring against his former club.
And who could blame him? United deemed Elanga surplus to requirements, allowing him to join Nottingham Forest, where he has become a key figure in Nuno Espirito Santo’s transformation of the team. Now, unlike the Red Devils, he looks set to play Champions League football next season.
Forest’s 1-0 victory – secured by their dynamic Swedish winger – not only reinforced their position in the Premier League’s top four but also deepened United’s struggles. With their 13th league defeat of the season, Ruben Amorim’s side now face the grim prospect of a first bottom-half finish since 1990.
Quite apart from one of their former players inflicting them with a painful defeat, it should be said that United spent the better part of €300 million to sign Antony, Jadon Sancho and Rasmus Hojlund. Neither Sancho nor Antony justified the money spent on their services, and while one has had his ups and downs at Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea since, the other seems like a reborn player at Real Betis at the moment. Only Hojlund remains at the club.
To make things worse, the 22-year-old Denmark international had a torrid evening at the City Ground, failing to give any problems to Forest’s centre-back duo of Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic. In the end, Amorim had to turn to out-of-favour defender Harry Maguire to play up front, and the 32-year-old centre-back indeed looked far more likely to score in the few minutes spent on the pitch than Hojlund throughout the game.
Elanga left Old Trafford in 2022 with little to no fuss at all, and away from the pressures of playing for Manchester United, he’s thriving. He’s played a great role in what has been an unbelievable season for Forest, and his attacking flare frequently reminds United fans of what they’ve been missing for a while now. Marcus Rashford is another good example of a player who’s had all sorts of issues in a United shirt, and his talent has come to the fore once more after he joined Aston Villa on loan in January.
The conclusion is quite simple. It’s not that Manchester United cannot identify players of great potential, it’s that they don’t really know how to use them. Erik ten Hag was widely criticized for it, and it seems Amorim hasn’t done any better since taking over from the Dutchman. Consequently, United have gone from being a club almost every player wants to play for to a club which young players need to leave to reach their full potential. It’s very telling that the season has progressed into April, with United not recording a single case of back-to-back Premier League victories.
Amorim’s men could yet qualify for the Champions League, but their only hope of doing so is to win the Europa League this season, which is easier said than done, of course. Be that as it may, the prospect of not playing in UEFA’s elite competition, maybe even Europe altogether, is a realistic one.
In that case, it’s quite conceivable for players like Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, who are reportedly wanted by top clubs across Europe, to demand to leave this summer. Bruno Fernandes is apparently of interest to Real Madrid, but Amorim has at least played that rumour down by saying he had informed the Portuguese playmaker that no offers for his services would be entertained.
It’s been five years since Fernandes joined United from Sporting Lisbon, and the 20-time English champions arguably haven’t had a successful big-money signing since. It’s quite clear that their scouting department needs to pay closer attention to the ability of potential transfer targets to fit in with the specific demands of their coaches, rather than just the level of obvious football talent, or the weight of their previous successes elsewhere.
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