Why did Anthony Elanga feel forced to leave Manchester United for Nottingham Forest?

Anthony Elanga says he felt like he was “playing for the sake of playing” at Manchester United and had to leave in order to advance his career.

The 22-year-old scored his first Premier League goal for United on the final day of the 2020/21 season and was given further playing opportunities the following year, first by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and then by caretaker manager Ralf Rangnick.

Erik ten Hag has used Elanga more sparingly after taking over, allowing him just 417 minutes of Premier League football compared to the 1,208 minutes he registered during the 2021/22 season.

linked to various Moves Away from Old Trafford, Elanga eventually put pen to paper on a five-year contract with Nottingham Forest, helping the Tricky Trees avoid relegation as they return to the top flight in 2022 after a 23-year absence.

Forests are now riding high in Premier League Under Nuno Espirito Santo, he sits handsome Fourth in the tableMuch of their success has come from the brilliance of Chris Wood, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ilanga, who has been active on the wing.

talking to The athleteElanga has now admitted that he didn’t feel like he was really improving as a footballer at Manchester United, which was one of the main reasons why he took the opportunity to join Forest.

“I made the right decision 100%. I didn’t really talk about it, but at that time at United, I was very young and I was coming to a team that was struggling,” Elanga said. Yes, there was this idea: “I’m playing for.” Manchester United‘. But I also never felt like I was getting better. I was playing for the sake of playing when I had a strange chance off the bench.

“Coming to Forest was very big for me, because suddenly I was playing regularly for 90 minutes, while having the opportunity to improve. When I played, I felt like I had a purpose; like I was playing and getting better in the process. That was the biggest change for me.” .

“I feel as though I know the league well now, because I’ve had the opportunity to learn. I have no regrets, because I’m enjoying playing great football with this team. We’re in a really good place at the moment.” “

Elanga also explained forestThe mental grit and determination to succeed – something Nuno has instilled since taking over the managerial reins from Steve Cooper in December 2023.

“We believe. This is our motto: believe every time we take to the field,” Elanga revealed. “We want to keep that mentality. If we win a game, when we go back to training, his message is always the same: It was a good win, well done, but now we move on to the next game.”

“That belief has been a key strength for us this season.”

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