Keep working, be positive, stay humble

The 19-year-old talent has been named in the Swedish squad as a reward for his excellent performances at club level under Ralf Rangnick and we all hope to see him in action on Thursday, in the World Cup qualifying play-off against Czech Republic at the Friends Arena in Stockholm. 

It is presumed that Elanga might be on the bench, with fellow strikers Alexander Isak and Zlatan Ibrahimovic expected to start up front. But as a new face in the group, as is custom, Anthony is set to speak at a press conference on Tuesday, alongside the former Old Trafford hero Ibra. 

 

Första träningen med herrlandslaget ✔️

⚡️ A N T H O N Y E L A N G A ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/cz1uO1XZXO

— Svensk Fotboll (@svenskfotboll) March 21, 2022

Barring a late injury, Lindelof will undoubtedly start the play-off in his role as Sweden captain and Victor will no doubt be guiding Anthony through the week as a whole. As he explained in a recent interview for United Review, our matchday programme, they have a close relationship. 

“He’s a great talent, still very, very young but he’s got some really, really great qualities as a player,” Lindelof told us. “He’s very fast with great technique and he’s got an eye for goal. 

“If he just keeps on working hard, stays humble, and keeps his feet on the ground, I think he can have a great future ahead of him. Like I said, he’s still very, very young so I think it’s important to let him develop in his own time, but he’s a great talent.

“Of course, I always try to help players and help team-mates if they need my help. That’s the kind of person I am, I always want to help people, so of course I talk to him. He’s from Sweden, so it makes sense that I speak to him as well. 

“I’m also the captain of the national team so for me to do that just comes naturally. I’ve spoken to him and said stay humble, keep working hard, and keep doing your thing. Keep your feet on the ground and work hard because even if you’re young and you manage to come to this level, it’s a great thing, but staying at this level is also hard because you need to really keep working hard.”

In our latest United Review, Elanga was also praised by another United centre-back, Raphael Varane, who embraces the opportunity to mentor exciting young players. 

“Yeah, he’s improving,” said the Frenchman. “He’s very young but he has the right mentality to improve and to express his quality. He’s extremely fast and he has a good finish. He’s really helping the team and he’s always positive and tries to do his best, so he’s very important this season.

“I think it’s important to give young players a lot of confidence and tactically to manage the game and know when they have to make the effort. I think we have a real role for young players.”

THURSDAY'S INTERNATIONALS

Iraq v UAE (17:00 GMT)
Portugal v Turkey (19:45 GMT)                                  
Sweden v Czech Republic (19:45 GMT)                  
Wales v Austria (19:45 GMT)
Scotland v Poland (19:45 GMT)
Brazil v Chile (23:30 GMT)
Uruguay v Peru (23:30 GMT)