In a recent interview with Fotbollskanalen, Manchester United youngster Anthony Elanga revealed that he was open to leaving on loan in the summer transfer window but has insisted that he is happy to stay and fight for a place in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s starting eleven.
“I was ready if they wanted to loan me.
“As a young player you have to be ready, but I’m happy to be where I am at United now and I want to show them what I can do.
“I’m always ready if the coach calls me. I show what I can do in training and if I get the opportunity, I take it.”
The 19-year-old winger enjoyed a productive pre-season with the Red Devils as he got his name on the scoresheet in friendly encounters with Queens Park Rangers and Brentford. He also scored twice for Sweden’s Under-21s side in their impressive 3-1 win against Montenegro on Friday.
The teenager hasn’t made too many appearances for Manchester United’s senior side to date, but he did make his debut against Leicester City on 11th May 2021 after proving his worth with the U-23 side with sixteen goal contributions in 29 appearances.
Given the unavailability of several key players and the kind of form Elanga is in, Solskjaer might have given him some game-time over the first couple of gameweeks, but he picked up a minor injury that saw him miss the start of the season.
Nonetheless, with the sort of numbers that he is putting up week in week out, the fans are convinced that the Swedish international is another star in the making.
What Lies Ahead For Him?
Well, a loan deal for Elanga would have certainly made more sense. A temporary move away from Old Trafford could have helped him secure regular minutes at the top level.
Solskjaer has plenty of options to choose from when it comes to the attacking department, and it’s highly doubtful if Elanga is going to make the cut, especially given that he’s way down the pecking order.
But he might be presented with rare opportunities when the UEFA Champions League and Carabao Cup campaigns get underway. At the moment, the forward seems excited about Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at Old Trafford.
“I was starstruck when I heard he was coming to United.
“But I have calmed myself down a little now.
“I will be looking at everything with Ronaldo. How he does what he does, what he does before and after training. I’ll be asking the questions any other person would.
“He’s won everything with United and knows what it takes to play for the club. He’s a legend.
“I have heard he speaks a lot with young players and I look forward to meeting him.”
