Nottingham Forest forward Anthony Elanga is backing former Manchester United team-mate Antony to kick-start his career at the Premier League giants and ‘score a lot of goals’ under Erik ten Hag.
As the Sweden international turned on the afterburners, storming through the Newcastle backline before slotting under Martin Dubravka, he took his tally to a more-than respectable five since joining Nottingham Forest from the Red Devils last summer.
That, by the way, is one more than Antony has managed in 18 months at Elanga’s former employers, the Brazilian still awaiting his first goal of the current Premier League campaign as the man he kept out of Ten Hag’s XI goes from strength-to-strength at the City Ground.
Elanga, however, feels no bitterness towards the man who’s £82 million arrival from Ajax eventually paved the way for his Old Trafford departure. Quite the opposite, Elanga backing Antony to rediscover the form that once made him the first player ever to score in his first three league games in a Man United shirt.
Antony backed to save his Manchester United career
“Antony is a great player and a beautiful person. We had a lot of contact when I was at United and we still talk sometimes now,” Elanga tells Soccernieuws.
“I am confident that he will score a lot of goals there. I could already see (his ability to score) during the training sessions.”
With Alejandro Garnacho taking his place on the right, and with Manchester United reportedly eyeing up the likes of Michael Olise, Pedro Neto and Johan Bakayoko, Antony is facing the biggest test of his Manchester United career, especially with new CEO Omar Berrada reportedly keen to move on swiftly from underperforming players.
Antony’s only goal in the entirety of 2023/24 came against Newport County in the FA Cup, though the Brazilian’s agent insists that he will not give up on his United career without a fight.
Brazilian not giving up yet
“Manchester has so far not communicated any interest in transferring him in either the January or summer window,” Junior Pedroso exclusively told United In Focus last month.
“Antony is focused on these (final) four months of the season so he can improve his performance, knowing that he needs to score goals and assists. This is his focus. Today, our head is on Manchester United.
“He knows very well that he needs to score. There’s no point in just playing good games, he has to score goals and provide assists. He is very coherent about this. Certainly, in these four months he will show much more than he showed this season.”
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