Anthony Elanga has joined Nottingham Forest and will continue to build his reputation in the Premier League. Although he failed to convince Erik Ten Hag about his credentials at the very highest level, Forest showed a lot of faith in bringing the young man to the City Ground.The 21-year-old winger signed a five-year contract with the two-time European Cup winners. Elanga arrives having already played and scored in the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League in 55 appearances for Manchester United.Although of Cameroonian descent, Elanga made his international debut for Sweden in March 2022 and has since earned 12 caps, scoring three goals for the Scandinavian country.”It’s a pleasure to be here. It’s a proud moment, not only for me but for my family as well. It’s the perfect next step for my career, and I’m looking forward to playing in front of the Forest fans at The City Ground.”Anthony announced 🔓 pic.twitter.com/cfz96tnevg— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) July 25, 2023 Last season, Nottingham Forest returned to the top flight after a long break and, although they looked poor in the opening weeks, they improved as the season went on. Manager Steve Cooper made the team tick despite a huge influx of new players and kept his job despite looking like a favourite in the “sack race” for a while. Now Forest are working to prepare for the ever-tricky second season up. They don’t want to be victims of the so-called second-season syndrome – and Elanga’s arrival should provide a big lift.”I had interest from elsewhere, but for me, Nottingham Forest feels like the perfect place. I’ve been here with United, and from the minute I stepped out for the warm-up, I could hear them from the changing room. It’s a special place, but being here with Forest, I feel like it will be even more special.”##NAJAVA_MECA_7392226##Having played for Swedish team Elfsborg as a youngster, Elanga briefly played for local side Hattersley after his family moved to Manchester before being scouted by both Manchester United and Manchester City. He signed as an academy scholar at Manchester United in July 2018, progressing through the ranks and working his way towards the first team.During the Covid-shortened 2019/20 season, Elanga finished as United’s top scorer in their U18 Premier League division with seven goals in nine games – form which saw the young forward win United’s Young Player of the Year award. The following season was where he made his breakthrough, scoring nine goals in 16 Premier League 2 appearances and also catching the eye for United’s U21s in their EFL Trophy campaign.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Then-United boss Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer was so impressed that he promoted Elanga to the first team and gave him his professional debut on 11 May 2021 in the EPL game against Leicester City.In 2021/22, Elanga continued to gain first-team experience, featuring 27 times across all competitions for Solskjaer and his successor Ralf Rangnick. However, the Austrian’s departure, the arrival of Erik Ten Hag and especially the signing of Antony from Ajax restricted Elanga’s chances of playing for the first team. With United trying to raise funds for their long-standing bid to sign a proven goalscorer, Elanga’s departure was no surprise. Elanga arrives on Trentside as Forest’s second signing of this transfer window, having completed the signing of Nigerian right-back Ola Aina from Torino last week.
