Ten Hag backs Elanga to have bright future
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has backed Anthony Elanga to have a big impression as the season continues.
The homegrown winger started for the fourth time in the league this term in the 1-0 victory over West Ham and kept up his perfect record, having previously been in the XI for the wins against Liverpool, Southampton and Leicester City.
Ten Hag has spoken about how he liked the 20-year-old's cameo against Chelsea last weekend and had no qualms about introducing him in place of the injured Antony for the clash with David Moyes's Hammers.
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"He's doing well and he's a young guy," explained Ten Hag to Viaplay Sweden. "Last year, he came in for a lot of games and this year, obviously, I would say it's normal to drop down in minutes.
"But you can see today he's quite mature and I was happy with his performance. His runs behind were good, he was composed on the ball, his pressing was good. His performance today was good. You can see the power lacked a little bit, like when you don't have a run of games.
"I'm happy to work with him. He has big potential. I think he can have a really good position in world football."
When asked if he was convinced by Elanga's qualities and the prospect of a bright future, he replied: "I am definitely sure because he is a great kid to work with. Always positive and I think his brightness, his positive attitude and by working hard, he has the capabilities so now we have to improve that."
The Sweden international will hope to be involved again when United face Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday, after scoring on our last trip to Spain - the 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid in last season's Champions League.