Anthony Elanga says he felt he was “playing to play” at Manchester United and had to leave to progress his career.
The 22-year-old scored his first Premier League goal for United on the final day of the 2020/21 season and was given further chances to play the following year, first under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and then interim boss Ralf Rangnick.
Erik ten Hag used Elanga more sparingly after taking over, giving him just 417 minutes of Premier League football compared to the 1,208 minutes he logged during the 2021/22 campaign.
Linked with several it moves away from Old Trafford, Elanga ended a five-year deal at Nottingham Forest, helping the Tricky Trees avoid relegation after returning to the top flight in 2022 after a 23-year absence.
The woods now run high Premier League under Nuno Espirito Santo, seated a handsome fourth at the tableand much of their success has come from the brilliance of Chris Wood, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Elanga, who has been a direct cable to the band.
talking with The AthleticElanga has now admitted he didn’t feel he was improving as a footballer at Man Utd, which was one of the key reasons he jumped at the chance to join Forest.
“I made the right decision, 100 percent,” reflected Elanga. “I haven’t really talked about it, but at the time at United, I was very young and coming into a team that was struggling. Yes, there was the thought that, ‘I’m playing for.’ Manchester United‘. But I also never felt like I was getting better. I was playing to play when I had some opportunity from the bench.
“Coming to Forest was very important for me, because suddenly I was playing regularly for 90 minutes, while I had the opportunity to improve. When I played, I felt like I had a purpose, like I was playing and improving in the process. The change bigger for me
“Now I feel like I know the league inside out, because I’ve had the chance to learn. I don’t regret it, because I’m enjoying playing great football with this team. We’re doing really well at the moment.”
Elanga also explained it forestmental toughness and determination to succeed, something that has been instilled by Nuno since taking over the managerial reins from Steve Cooper in December 2023.
“We do believe. This is our motto: believe every time we go out on the pitch,” revealed Elanga. “We want to keep that mentality. If we win a game, when we go back to training his message is always the same: it was a good win, well done, but now on to the next one.
“That belief has been a core strength for us this season.”
