Starts show Antony has managed just two goal involvements in 25 games in all competitions
His arrival in 2022 limited the game time of Elanga, who subsequently departed
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Antony has been backed to eventually come good at Manchester United due – in part – to his ‘great’ ability and ‘beautiful’ personality by Anthony Elanga.
The Nottingham Forest winger saw his game time at Old Trafford limited before being shipped out of the club last season following the Brazilian’s arrival.
Antony endured a lacklustre maiden campaign before sinking to even greater depths this term, providing just two goal contributions that both came during an FA Cup win against League Two Newport County.
Despite his former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag shelling out £86million to bring him to Manchester in 2022, it appears even the Dutchman has lost faith in the tricky winger, now opting to deploy Alejandro Garnacho in his place on the right.
However, that has not altered Elanga’s perspective on his former team-mate, who he believes will someday succeed for the Red Devils.
Antony has fallen out of favour at United after struggling for form, starting just one of his last five league appearances
Antony has fallen out of favour at United after struggling for form, starting just one of his last five league appearances
Anthony Elanga scored his fifth Premier League goal of the season in the 3-2 defeat to Newcastle last week
Anthony Elanga scored his fifth Premier League goal of the season in the 3-2 defeat to Newcastle last week
‘Antony is a great player and a beautiful person.’ The Swedish forward told SoccerNews.nl. ‘We had a lot of contact when I was at United, and we still talk sometimes now.
‘I am confident that he will score a lot of goals there. I could already see that during the training sessions.
‘I believe in God, and he told me to go to Nottingham, and Antony is still at United. But he will really be successful there.’
Elanga’s divinely-inspired decision to move to the east Midlands has borne fruit, with the 21-year-old establishing himself as a key player in Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad.
In the Premier League, he has five goals and six assists from 23 appearances for a side battling to avoid to the drop.
Elanga revealed that his relationship with Erik ten Hag was not the reason behind his decision to leave the club last summer
Elanga revealed that his relationship with Erik ten Hag was not the reason behind his decision to leave the club last summer
Elanga also opened up on his decision to leave United and insisted that he holds no ill feeling toward Ten Hag amid reports at the time that the manager forced him out of the club.
‘Was Ten Hag the reason I left United? No, I wouldn’t say that.’ He added. ‘I just wanted to play, that was especially important to me.
‘I’m young and I don’t want to sit on the bench all season, you know? When you’re young you want to play, you want to make mistakes, you want to take risks.
‘But he wasn’t the reason for my leaving. There I mainly focused on myself, not on others.’
Michael Owen has been speaking about Manchester United following their win over Aston Villa
TV pundit Michael Owen
Michael Owen chatted about Manchester United star Scott McTominay
Michael Owen has called for Scott McTominay to be given a more regular role in Manchester United’s side after his latest match-winner against Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.
McTominay netted in the 86th-minute at Villa Park as United made it three straight victories in the Premier League to boost their Champions League qualification hopes. The 27-year-old was similarly heroic in the wins against Brentford and Chelsea earlier in the campaign and has scored seven goals in 21 top-flight games.
The midfielder was made available for transfer last summer, but a move did not materialise, while former players, including Paul Scholes, have not always been glowing about the Academy graduate. Owen, though, reckons United can only “ignore” McTominay and his worth for so long.
Problems in the engine room at United have been well documented since before Casemiro was signed and youngster Kobbie Mainoo burst on to the scene, with McTominay and long-term partner Fred often picked apart by Scholes and other TV pundits for their performances in previous years.
Assessing the 41-cap international last season, Scholes told Sky Sports: “McTominay was always trying to run with the ball, which was ridiculous. The quality in the middle of the pitch was nowhere near good enough, but we’ve seen that for the last few years with these two [McTominay and Fred].”
Scholes softened his stance on the Academy graduate in the following months, but his one-time teammate Owen has gone one step further. Speaking about McTominay after Sunday afternoon’s result and impact, he told Premier League Productions that the Scotland international could be “absolutely anything” for Erik ten Hag’s side.
“He has got attributes that you can’t really teach,” commented Owen.
“His fitness levels, his size, his strength and the way he marauds forward. It’s a fascinating conundrum because he has almost burst into my mind now and I’m thinking; ‘Wow, you have to find a place for this type of player’. I never had him down by this type of player before, this real marauding midfielder.”
Owen then added: “With his size and knack of scoring goals, you can only ignore that for so long. Okay, so he might not get ahead of Bruno [Casemiro] or Casemiro, at the moment, but if he keeps on doing what he’s doing then you are going to have to find a role in the team.
If he keeps improving, then he can be absolutely anything.”
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