Elanga wins prestigious Jimmy Murphy award
Anthony Elanga has followed in some famous footsteps by landing the Jimmy Murphy Youth Team Player of the Year award.
The exciting winger was restricted to nine appearances for the Under-18s, but still managed to contribute seven goals for Neil Ryan's side before the season was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
His enterprising play on the flanks caught the eye, and he also appeared eight times for the Under-23s.
United's Young Player of the Year winners
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The Sweden youth international is another youngster to progress through the ranks at United. His father, Joseph, played at the 1998 World Cup finals for Cameroon, before having a couple of spells with Malmo.
Under-18s lead coach Neil Ryan selected Elanga for the award following discussions with Head of Academy Nick Cox and his staff.
“This was really a tough decision, as there were a number of players who had great seasons for the Under-18s,” said Cox. “This group has worked really hard throughout the year and we could have easily chosen more than one winner.
“Teden Mengi was excellent throughout the FA Youth Cup run and certainly deserves some recognition, but he was mainly part of the Under-23s squad last season, which was important for his development.
“However, Anthony deserves this award. He’s an exciting player and scored some great goals for the Under-18s last season. There are a number of different factors that came into it when we made our decision, especially at this age group. Off the pitch, Anthony is extremely dedicated and always puts in the maximum effort, whether that is in his education, training or recovery work, and that is exactly what we want to see from our young players.
“On the pitch, he has become more consistent, regularly showing his pace, flair and finishing, while also improving his work rate.”
The 18-year-old has already enjoyed an excellent start to this season, scoring and assisting in the 6-0 win at Salford City in the EFL Trophy.
The wide man also gained his first senior experience as a second-half substitute in United's pre-season friendly at Aston Villa last weekend, with the future looking bright for the teenager.
Elanga succeeds Mason Greenwood as the holder of the prize. Some of the other previous winners include Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Wes Brown and Marcus Rashford.
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