23 hours Ago By Olly Dawes
Manchester United fell to defeat on Tuesday night as Anthony Elanga fired Nottingham Forest to a 1-0 victory at the City Ground.Premier League action finally returned for Manchester United fans with the international break well and truly over.United went into the break on a high after beating Real Sociedad and Leicester City in the space of a few days.
Ruben Amorim’s hopes of rekindling that momentum were given an almighty blow early on as Anthony Elanga ran, ran and ran some more before finishing past Andre Onana.United huffed and puffed but couldn’t blow the Forest house down, drawing a blank at the City Ground.Harry Maguire’s last-gasp chance was heroically cleared off the line by Murillo, leaving United to taste defeat in Nottingham.
READ MORE: Man Utd player ratings vs Nottingham Forest, two 7/10s good but 4/10 star haunted by the past in lossPhoto by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty ImagesRio Ferdinand on Anthony ElangaDefeat always hurts, but this one stings that little bit more because it was Elanga who scored the goal.United sold Elanga to Forest in 2023, allowing him to leave the club in a £15million move.The Swede spent nine years in the United ranks, but with playing time diminishing under Erik ten Hag, Elanga decided to move on.
Elanga admitted United’s struggles hurt for him as he remains a fan from afar, but it was the rapid winger who consigned United to defeat on Tuesday night.Rio Ferdinand was impressed with Elanga’s performance on Tuesday night and moved to praise the winger whilst speaking on TNT Sports (01/04, 10:30pm).Ferdinand suggested that Elanga is a ‘wonderful’ player but has the attitude and work rate to go alongside the talent.
United legend Ferdinand added that Elanga showed the bravery to give up on playing for United and prove himself elsewhere – something other players would shy way from if given the chance.“This kid is a wonderful player, but the thing I love is that he’s got a wonderful attitude,” said Ferdinand.“He’s infectious, he loves the game.
We see all the highlights of the stepovers, and the jinks, and the goals, and it’s wonderful to watch – Instagram pieces galore.“But it’s the foundations of hard work consistently that get him to this place that he’s going to get an award like that today, and continue to get them over a period of time.“There’s loads of players with wonderful ability, but they lack the attitude, they lack the mentality and the mindset, and the bravery to take a chance, to put the heavy crest of Manchester United down and think ‘I’m going to take a chance, I’m going to put myself out there and go to Nottingham Forest and try to make a career for myself and better myself there’ – and he’s doing a wonderful job,” he added.
READ MORE: ‘Absolutely brutal’ – Ex-Nottingham Forest boss spots ‘crazy’ Man United moment during 1-0 defeatAnthony Elanga ran 85 metres in 9 seconds WITH the ball in his counter-attack goal vs Man Utd ⌚️🔥 pic.twitter.com/x4bJaBn8yk— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 1, 2025Rio Ferdinand claims Ruben Amorim would have kept Anthony ElangaFerdinand added that he doesn’t think Amorim would have sold Elanga had he been in charge at the time.
Erik ten Hag wanted United to play great transition football, but he never really seemed to fancy Elanga – and let him go to Forest in 2023.Ferdinand believes Amorim would have loved Elanga for his physicality and pace, as well as his intelligence in and out of possession.“I think it was the old regime that let him go, under this regime now, I don’t think Elanga would be let go because he has the attributes that an Amorim would want,” said Ferdinand.
“He has the physicality, he has the pace, he has that ability to break the lines with and without the ball. It’s a different time now, and he’s no longer there, but I wish him all the best because he’s a great lad with a good attitude,” he added.United don’t appear to have a buy-back clause on Elanga, and his continued goal threat for Forest is something that may well frustrate for years to come.
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