What Anthony Elanga did for eight months straight that has turned him into a Nottingham Forest superstar

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Anthony Elanga has been one of Nottingham Forest’s most important players this season.

With six goals and eight assists, the 22-year-old has already matched the number of goal contributions he achieved for the Reds in the Premier League last term.

In recent weeks, Elanga’s strike against Manchester United has rightfully earned him plaudits from football fans at the City Ground and beyond.

In arguably his best performance of the season, Elanga also laid on a hat-trick of assists in Nottingham Forest’s 7-0 win against Brighton in February.

Now the Sweden international has revealed the extent of the hard work that has gone into his success.

Anthony Elanga worked on his left foot for eight months straight

Speaking to BBC Sport ahead of Nottingham Forest’s clash with Everton, Elanga highlighted how he made the most of the pause in the Premier League during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Playing for Manchester United at the time, Elanga said: “During lockdown, I trained a lot on my left foot. I trained for eight months just on my left foot, constantly hitting [the ball against] the wall.”

The winger’s hard work came back to haunt his former club this season, the Manchester United defenders bamboozled as Elanga carried the ball 85 yards to score.

Elaborating on the work he did during lockdown, the 22-year-old added: “I always used the reference of Thierry Henry. I think he was really good at that, playing [with his] left foot [on the] right-wing, up front, striker.”

Elanga concluded: “I think it’s important to go both ways. I want to be able to add different traits to my game and be an unpredictable player.”

Anthony Elanga has taken his game to new levels at Nottingham Forest

Elanga was handed his Premier League debut at Manchester United as a 19-year-old by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the 2020/21 season.

Across his three seasons with the club, he struggled for regular minutes, often being hooked when starting or featuring in the final stages of games as a substitute.

To progress and develop further, Elanga ultimately decided to join Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2023 in pursuit of more playing time.

A solid first season at the City Ground saw the winger record five goals and nine assists in 36 top flight appearances, helping Nottingham Forest avoid relegation.

He has kicked on again this term and is arguably now in the form of his career so far.

If Nottingham Forest are to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 1980, they will undoubtedly need the tricky winger to maintain his excellent form over the final few weeks of the season.

Should he do so, a new contract for Elanga will undoubtedly be on the horizon.