"Very, very positive about next year" - Manchester United forward Antony Elanga points out major reason why he is eager to work with Erik ten Hag
Swedish teenager Anthony Elanga accepts Manchester United have struggled this season but is hopeful of things taking a turn for the positive under new full-time manager Erik ten Hag. The 20-year-old winger has been a regular fixture in the Red Devils starting XI. He has netted two goals in the Premier League and one in the Champions League.
Elanga on Ten Hag: "You can see the way Ajax are playing in Europe. He's a great manager with a fantastic record in Europe. I've seen how good he is with developing young players, so that's one of the reasons I'm really excited to work with him." [sky] #mufc
Manchester United were hoping to put up a serious fight across different competitions earlier this season with the arrival of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, the team failed to deliver and crashed out in the early rounds of every domestic tournament and Champions League as well.
As things stand, Manchester United are practically out of the top-4 race in the Premier League, which will keep them out of next season's Champions League.
The season saw Manchester United sack Ole Gunner Solskjaer and bring in German coaching legend Ralf Rangnick in a caretaker role. The club recently announced the arrival of Dutchman Erik ten Hag as their new full-time manager, entrusting him with the job to completely overhaul the team.
Mass exits are expected at Old Trafford as the board wants the Dutch manager to bring in players who fit Ten Hag's style of football. Speaking to Sky Sports, Anthony Elanga shared his assessment of the ongoing season and what he expects from the new manager.
He said:
"Sometimes things don't go our way. All the best teams go through spells like this. It's all about looking back at this at the end of the season and seeing what we can do better. We still have two games left and it's about finishing the season as strongly as possible. We just have to regroup and start the new season firing."
"You can see the way Ajax are playing in Europe. He's a great manager with a fantastic record in Europe. I've seen how good he is with developing young players, so that's one of the reasons I'm really excited to work with him. Obviously we're focused on finishing the season strongly but we're also feeling very, very positive about next year."
Elanga: "Obviously we're focused on finishing the season strongly but we're also feeling very, very positive about next year." [sky] #mufc
Edinson Cavani reveals Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford made him consider leaving Manchester United
Uruguay international Edinson Cavani has revealed that he would have left Manchester United if he was aware of Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford.
🗣️ Cavani: "Speaking the truth, I thought it was good #mufc signed Cristiano. Knowing a little about the world of football, 1st thing I did was call my brother and said: If this happened a week ago, I would've asked you to sign with another club." [@ESPNBrasil via @Sport_Witness]
The 35-year-old striker was a key figure for United last season as they finished second in the Premier League. However, he missed most of the current season injured and is now looking to depart the club.
Speaking to ESPN Brazil, Cavani said:
"Speaking the truth, I thought it was good MUFC signed Cristiano. Knowing a little about the world of football, 1st thing I did was call my brother and said: If this happened a week ago, I would've asked you to sign with another club."