December 30th 2023.
Anthony Elanga had a personal reason for wanting to perform well when Nottingham Forest took on his former club Manchester United on Saturday. As the winger played a big role in the famous 2-1 win at the City Ground, he was able to prove something to his former club.
"Last season wasn't easy for me because I'd play five or 10 minutes, then I wouldn't play for 10 games, I'd be in-and-out, in-and-out," Elanga told NBC Sports.
"I had my family supporting me, it's been difficult when I hadn't even been in the squad. This game was kind of personal for me because I wanted to prove that... listen, I'm capable of playing at a high level. I'm just grateful for Nottingham Forest for bringing me in."
Elanga had shown promise after coming through the Manchester United academy but was allowed to leave for just £15m over the summer. He has been impressive this season, scoring four goals and providing six assists, and he was keen to put on a good show against his former club.
"Before the game I tried to put my emotions aside and just stay as professional as I could," Elanga said. "Today, not just me, but the whole team played really well. That assist for Morgan was special because that puts me on double figures. Last year I don't think I scored. Now I'm on four goals and six assists, I just want to keep pushing and working hard because I feel like the sky's the limit."
The win over the Red Devils came after an impressive victory over Newcastle United, making it a great start to life at the City Ground for new manager Nuno Espirito Santo. Elanga was full of praise for the Portuguese manager.
"We had a game plan that we wanted to stick by and obviously Nuno and the rest of the staff have come in and brought a sense of calmness to the club," Elanga said. "We stuck to the game plan, each and every single one of us played really well, we worked hard and got the result in the end."
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