Anthony Elanga was playing just his 11th Manchester United first team game last night against Middlesbrough.
Already he knows how painful it is to suffer heartbreaking defeat in a Red Devils jersey.
Elanga missed the decisive penalty in the shootout to condemn United to a 8-7 spotkick defeat.
But the truth is Elanga should carry absolutely no blame for the loss, his teammates blew it long before the game went to penalties.
United missed numerous, easy, chances in normal time, including a Ronaldo penalty miss.
Ronaldo consoled Elanga after his shootout miss, while Juan Mata posted to Instagram to back his young teammate, lauding him as a ‘great player’.
The togtherness in the United squad as they rallied round Elanga at the end was probably the only positive to come out of the defeat, a harrowing night for the club.
You can hope that this will be a wake-up call for the senior players, that they need to pull their weight and deliver the goods, in an effort to alleviate some pressure from Elanga after this.
The young Swede will bounce back. He is a terrific prospect who has already demonstrated his first team quality since coming into the side under Ralf Rangnick.
United play again on Tuesday night away at Burnley. We need a break after last night, but at the same time, it feels like it could be a long weekend as we digest the miserable defeat and stare grimly at the prospect of yet another trophyless season.
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