Nottingham Forest may have picked up huge bargain, he’s outperforming all his old teammates

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Nottingham Forest signed Anthony Elanga in the summer and he’s already showcasing to Manchester United what they’re missing. The 21-year-old was one of 13 new signings to arrive at the City Ground during the off-season.

Forest took a chance on Elanga when Steve Cooper decided he wanted to add more athleticism to his squad. He cost the club £15 million and ultimately, he’s looking like a very shrewd addition.

Now some statistics have emerged that might make United wish they’d given him more of a go. Erik ten Hag clearly wasn’t a huge fan of his and started him just eight times last season.

United might already have Elanga regrets

United are in dire straits at the moment. They’ve lost eight of their last 15 matches and were embarrassed in the Carabao Cup last night by Newcastle United.

Ten Hag might be on borrowed time and allowing Elanga to leave for Forest at such a low price won’t count in his favour either. The Sweden international has taken Forest by storm and he’s already loved at the City Ground.

To say he’s not started too much at Forest just yet in the Premier League, Elanga has done pretty well. He’s scored one goal and registered three assists during the 2023/24 campaign.

For context, that number of goal contributions is more than Marcus Rashford, Antony, Alejandro Garnacho, Anthony Martial, Jadon Sancho and big-money signing Rasmus Hojlund.

Elanga can star at Forest

The big difference between Forest and United is Cooper. In the 43-year-old, Forest have a boss who wants to utilise youngsters and Elanga will get time to find his way.

In truth, Forest should have defeated Manchester United back in August. They went 2-0 up after four minutes but surrendered that lead and ended up losing 3-2.

Elanga seems like a good character and he fits the bill of a player with lots of athleticism that Cooper wants. Now, with Callum Hudson-Odoi injured, he will get the chance to start more frequently too.

These stats don’t prove much just yet, other than Elanga has started well at Forest. Come to the end of the season, however, United might really be counting the cost of letting the talent leave for such a bargain price.