Manchester United forward Anthony Elanga says he has restored his self-confidence with his latest goal for Sweden.
Anthony Elanga came off the bench to help Sweden to a 4-1 victory in a friendly over New Zealand on Friday night.
Goals have been hard to come by for the 21-year-old, who last scored for Manchester United in February 2022.
It’s hard to be too tough on Elanga for this barren spell, even though it is not ideal, considering the lack of game time he has had at Manchester United.
Elanga started only seven games all season, and played fewer minutes than Cristiano Ronaldo, who left the club midway through the campaign.
The forward did score for Sweden against Kazakhstan in March, from the bench, and now has two in two for his country.
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Anthony Elanga on his goal
Anthony Elanga has not found it easy with his lack of game time for Manchester United this season. His last start came back in January.
His goal was just what he needed, as he explained via Swedish outlet SVT. He said: “It gives me good self-confidence. It is important for me to come in and score, and give Janne [Anderson] an idea of which team he should start the next match with.”
Elanga clearly hopes he has done enough to earn what has eluded him for so long; a start.
And there is a notable fixture upcoming in Euro 2024 qualifying on Tuesday, when Sweden take on Ralf Rangnick‘s Austria.
Rangnick was the Manchester United interim boss who showed huge faith in Elanga, and the forward believes he can provide the inside track on his approach.
He said: “It is important to focus on Tuesday as it will be a very tough match. I might know what his team will look like. They will be very aggressive with high intensity, so it is important for us to be ready.”
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