Man United should 'sign' Elanga, joke fans after his wondergoal seals Nottingham Forest's crucial win

Football fans have lavished praise on Nottingham Forest star Anthony Elanga after his stunning early goal secured a 1-0 victory over Manchester United on Tuesday night.

The 22-year-old winger, enjoying a stellar season with Forest, continued his fine form by netting the winner within the first five minutes at the City Ground. His goal, a brilliant counter-attacking strike, helped third-placed Forest secure a crucial three points in their pursuit of Champions League qualification. Elanga has now registered seven goals and eight assists in the Premier League this season.

Elanga, who rose through the youth ranks at Manchester United before joining Forest for £15 million in the summer of 2023, showed his former club what they were missing. His goal came from a United corner, with the Swedish international picking up the ball just outside his own penalty area before sprinting 85 meters in just nine seconds and finishing clinically past Andre Onana.

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'Man United should sign Elanga', quip fans

Despite his heroics, Elanga refused to celebrate against his former side, but fans on social media were quick to react, with many questioning United’s decision to sell him.

"United should sign Elanga…." one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter, while another added, "Elanga the type of player United should be looking at."

A third supporter joked, "Man United should sign this Elanga lad…," while another quipped, "This Elanga guy is sooo good we should sign him."

Meanwhile, another fan commented, "United should sign Elanga. Would be a great addition to the squad.. Oh wait…," followed by another saying, "Wow United should sign Elanga."

TNT Sports later highlighted Elanga’s impressive speed, revealing that he covered 85 meters in nine seconds during his goal-scoring run. The strike marked his 28th goal contribution since moving to Nottingham Forest, a tally no United winger has matched in the same period.

When Elanga opened up about leaving Man United

Reflecting on his departure from Old Trafford, Elanga had earlier spoken to The Times in February 2024 about the challenges of leaving United.

"It was difficult [to leave] but it was needed because I wanted to play and I didn’t want to spend another season just playing ten minutes or not playing for ten games," he explained.

"I wanted a fresh start but I knew it wouldn’t be easy leaving a club that I had been at for nine years. Sometimes football is like that, it might not always work somewhere. I had seen what he (Erik ten Hag) did at Ajax (with young players) so I was looking forward to it but I just didn’t get the opportunities."

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Elanga initially joined United at the age of 12 after his family moved to England, making his first-team debut at 19 in May 2021. He went on to score four goals in 55 appearances for the Red Devils before moving to Forest in search of regular playing time.

His early goal on Tuesday night ultimately proved decisive, as Nottingham Forest held on to secure a vital 1-0 victory, strengthening their push for European football and leaving Manchester United to rue their decision to let him go.