Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker have heaped praise on an ‘exceptional’ Premier League star who Manchester United sold for just £15million two years ago.
While United are struggling under Ruben Amorim, a number of players who left Old Trafford recently are thriving, including Marcus Rashford, Dean Henderson and Ballon d’Or nominee Scott McTominay.
Another one performing well is Anthony Elanga who came through the Carrington academy and made 55 first-team appearances before Erik ten Hag sold him to Nottingham Forest.
The young winger developed brilliantly at the City Ground, recording 32 goal contributions in two seasons and helping Forest qualify for Europe.
His form earned him a £55m transfer to Newcastle United and he caught the eye in Wednesday’s 4-0 win at Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League, getting an assist and the player of the match award.
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‘[He has] settled in quickly, Anthony Elanga. I thought he was exceptional against USG,’ former England striker Lineker said on The Rest is Football podcast.
‘We saw it with Forest last season. There will be games where you’ve got to play a little bit deeper, particularly in the Champions League. That electric pace on the counterattack is going to be invaluable.’
Thanks to a sell-on clause in his contract, United pocketed another £6m when Elanga joined the Magpies, but the Red Devils would probably prefer that the 23-year-old was part of their side right now.
‘He’s rapid, isn’t he?’ Newcastle legend Shearer added. ‘I mean, oh my God, he’s like incredibly quick. It’s unbelievable how quick he is.
‘When teams are attacking Newcastle, that’s when Newcastle could be at their most dangerous with the turnover once they get the ball to him.
‘When he’s facing you one-v-one, when he’s up against you, you’re in trouble if it’s a race because you are not beating him for pace.
‘And when you look at the options, they’ve got him and Jacob Murphy on the right side. On the left they’ve got Harvey Barnes and Anthony Gordon. And up top they’ve got Nick Woltemade and Yoanne Wissa when he comes back into the team.
‘That’s very, very decent going forward. I’m quite happy with that. And it’s been a tough summer for Newcastle. It was always going to be tough to find their feet and hopefully that’s the result that sets them on the way this season.’
Elanga is still awaiting his first Newcastle goal and could get it when his former club Forest visit St. James’ Park on Sunday for a Premier League clash.