Ruud van Nistelrooy was one of the greatest strikers of the modern Premier League era. But you have to hand it to his old rival, and say Thierry Henry was pretty good too.
Henry left a lasting impact on a generation and one of those who is hoping to follow him is Manchester United youngster Anthony Elanga.
Elanga gave an interview to Harry Pinero’s YouTube channel in which he was quizzed on a variety of topics.
Asked about his time in United’s academy, Elanga said: “I’ve been here since under-12s. It’s still a dream for me.”
Elanga is now playing with United’s under-23s and he was the team’s leading goalscoring before suffering a shoulder injury in January.
United announced Elanga had signed a contract extension earlier this month, securing his future.
He featured with the first team in United’s one pre-season game and spoke in his interview about his admiration for Bruno Fernandes.
Elanga said: “He’s a leader. every time [on the pitch] he’s going to do something.”
Speedster with an eye for goal
Elanga is a rapid player who plays on the left wing for the under-23s but has also filled in up front this season.
In terms of positioning, there are parallels with the player he says he models his game on.
Elanga said: “Thierry Henry, I try to match my game with him,” when asked about which former player he draws inspiration from.
He also went onto praise Kylian Mbappe as the modern player he looks up to the most, adding, ‘he’s always direct’.
Elanga, 18, is a player with huge potential who has the ability to one day break into United’s first team. It could even have happened already if not for his recent injury.
The Athletic reported in mid-February that Elanga’s injury should take six weeks to heal. We are pretty much at that point now, so there is a chance he will be in action for the under-23s when fixtures resume in April.
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