Anthony Elanga has explained what he thought of the Nottingham Forest fans after signing for the Reds. The 21-year-old has left Manchester United to sign a five-year deal at the City Ground.
Elanga is a Sweden international and he’s a player who has risen through the ranks at Old Trafford. Although he made 55 appearances for the senior ranks at United, starts under Erik ten Hag were few and far between.
The youngster was on the bench against Forest at the City Ground back in April. He was also among the substitutes when United defeated the Reds 3-0 in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.
During that game, the winger came on with five minutes remaining and registered an assist for Bruno Fernandes. He’s claimed that the raucous City Ground atmosphere is one of the reasons, he’s chosen to come to Forest.
Elanga told the club’s official website: “I’ve been here with United, and from the minute I stepped out for the warm-up, I could hear them from the changing room.
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“It’s a special place, but being here with Forest, I feel like it will be even more special. I’m really ready for the challenge and I just want to embrace everything and get to work.”
Elanga shares ‘special’ Forest moment after signing for the club
It’s quite telling that the atmosphere at the City Ground earns praise from outsiders. It reiterates just how important it is for Forest to continue making their home ground a fortress.
Elanga ticks a lot of boxes for Forest. He’s young, won’t need registering in the 25-man squad and for a youngster, he has a fair bit of top-level experience.
Naturally, he will be judged by what he does on the field. This very much feels like a Steve Cooper signing, however, and that is definitely a major plus of this deal.
It would have been easy for Elanga to stay at United and continue picking up a wage to sit on the bench. Instead, he’s come to Forest in search of first-team football and for that, he should be praised.