Elanga shows hard work reaps dividends

The youngster is currently on UEFA Nations League duty with Sweden, ahead of today's clash with Norway. Earlier this month, he scored his first senior international goal, an absolute beauty against the Norwegians, to earn a start in the 1-0 defeat to Serbia in midweek.

After enjoying a fine campaign on a personal level, the homegrown winger has been exerting himself in the Tom Joyce Gym again and we recently covered his amazing box-jump in training. Such dedication and devotion appeared to pay off last year, as he revealed during an interview with United Review, the official matchday programme, that targeted work on a key area had reaped dividends.

When it was suggested how notable Elanga's ability to challenge aerially had improved, an important facet of the game, he replied:  "You know what? Honestly, in the youth team, I wasn't really jumping and scoring many headers but I think I've scored more headers for the first team than I did in the youth team.

"So it was something I worked on a lot last summer. I went away for a bit, working with one of my personal coaches, Tom [Joyce] and he helped me a lot.

"We worked a lot on jumping and other aspects of my game," he said. "I feel like, last pre-season, you could see that I've been working on those areas and, like I say, it's all about keeping on improving, getting better. My motto is always keep improving as I know I will never be the finished article. I can always improve and find areas where I can get better at.

"I think it shows my dedication and my mentality as well. Like I say, mentality is one of my strongest assets. I've been through a lot of things, even earlier on in the season as well. but I've not let it affect me. I'll keep pushing and keep working hard."

Elanga, who has also suggested in an interview with the Swedish media that he is taking yoga lessons, will hope for another electric pre-season like the one he enjoyed in 2021, particularly with a new boss to impress in Erik ten Hag.

"He's a fantastic manager - you can see his record in Europe and I'm really looking forward to working with him," commented the 20-year-old.