Anthony Elanga's equaliser for Manchester United against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League in February 2022 was hailed as a coming-of-age moment, but the forward was sold to Nottingham Forest two years later.
Elanga's Equaliser at the Metropolitano
United drew 1-1 with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 at the Metropolitano Stadium, with Elanga scoring a superb equaliser in the final 10 minutes. The away end celebrated by adapting the Eurodance classic Rhythm Is A Dancer, singing: "Rhythm is a dancer, Anthony Elanga, you won't stop him if you dare. He came from Scandinavia, to be United's saviour, scoring goals from everywhere. Wooah, it's Elanga. Wooah, you should see him in the air!"
United trailed 1-0 after an early goal from Joao Felix, and manager Ralf Rangnick replaced Marcus Rashford with Elanga in the 75th minute. The substitute took just five minutes to score with a first-time finish.
Rangnick's Praise and Elanga's Dream
After the match, Elanga said: "I have dreamt of moments like this, scoring in the Champions League against top European teams like Atletico Madrid, [it is] a dream come true. I think it was my first touch as well. He [Rangnick] said to me to make the defenders scared and run in behind. When I get the opportunity to take it. I wanted a good result for the fans because they came a long way."
Rangnick revealed he had persuaded Elanga to stay at the club in the January transfer window, saying: "I asked my staff members about him and found out he had almost already decided to leave the club on loan. I said, listen, I want you stay and see how you are doing in the training games until the end of the closure of the transfer window. I think right now he has just shown what is possible in football with the right mentality, the right approach, this is exactly what he did and what he always does in every training session."
Decline and Departure
Three days after the draw with Atletico, United drew 0-0 with Watford at home, with Elanga missing a big chance when he fired wide from six yards out. That setback was followed by a 4-1 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad. Elanga was dropped for the next league game against Tottenham, and although he started the last seven matches of the campaign, he managed only two assists.
He featured in 26 of Rangnick's 29 games in charge, but Erik ten Hag held a different opinion, believing Elanga lacked the required quality to make an impact. Elanga lasted just one season under Ten Hag before being sold to Nottingham Forest for £15million in the summer of 2023. After a decent spell at Forest, he has struggled to prove United were wrong to let him go, and he signed for Newcastle for £55m. Although Rangnick predicted Elanga could be United's next big thing after his goal against Atletico, it was another false dawn.
