When Nottingham Forest defeated Manchester United at The City Ground on Tuesday night, Anthony Elanga returned to haunt his old team. Forest was the clear favourite going into the game, and Elanga quickly gave them the lead.
With only five minutes remaining, Forest’s star winger gave his team an early lead by picking up the ball well within his own half and running the whole length of the pitch. Forest won all three points, and that turned out to be the lone goal of the match.
After the game, Ruben Amorim was questioned about Anthony Elanga.
His response was excellent.
Elanga, who is only 22 years old, has made a huge impact since leaving Manchester United in 2023 to sign a £15 million contract with Forest. With six goals and eight assists this season, he has played a significant role in Forest’s ascent to the top of the Premier League standings.
In the meantime, United, his old team, is having a lot of trouble. This season, they have only scored 37 goals; just six teams in the premier division of England have scored less. One might make a compelling case that Elanga would be a vital member of the Red Devils at this time if he had chosen to remain with them. Some United supporters feel the same way, and some have said that one of Erik ten Hag’s worst mistakes during his tenure at Old Trafford was letting him go.
After the game, Amorim was asked what he thought about Elanga. The Portuguese manager was questioned if it was annoying to watch the winger play for Forest after leaving United less than two years ago in an interview with beiN Sports. Amorim dismissed the query in his response:
“No. Manchester United is the venue where they must perform. We can’t ignore the athletes that leave; they had a chance. You must focus on the players within United, not on those outside. My team and its improvement are my main priorities.
During his press conference after the game, Amorim mentioned Elanga once again. “We are talking about a lot of players who were at Manchester United who are doing right, but they had the chance here,” he said of the Swedish winger. You don’t have time at United. There won’t be time for me. We need to do it quickly.
“They were here and there, but sometimes the pressure is too much. You should give these children time to grow, but sometimes you don’t have it. You need a solid base for that. We won’t assist our children if you don’t have it. They had their opportunities, and playing for Manchester United can be extremely stressful at times.
"Sometimes the pressure [of playing for Man United] is too big" 😳
Ruben Amorim on why players such as Elanga and Rashford are performing better away from Manchester United 📈 pic.twitter.com/R1AesNTiQ9
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 1, 2025
Now, United will focus on Sunday afternoon’s Manchester derby. The day before, Forest will travel to Aston Villa in an attempt to improve their prospects of placing in the top four this season.
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