Anthony Elanga has admitted he’s more suited to playing on the left rather than the right.
Manchester United’s 2021/22 season was completely forgettable. The Old Trafford club struggled in pretty much every aspect, failing to impress for large portions of the season.
For us here at Old Trafford Faithful, there were only one or two bright sparks. Amongst them was the development of Anthony Elanga. The Swede was given several opportunities by Ralf Rangnick, with the winger taking those chances and often looking like our biggest threat.
The young winger was mostly deployed on the right-hand side of the United attack, though in a recent interview, Elanga has revealed that isn’t his preferred position. Instead, he believes he operates better from off the left.
Obviously, that isn’t really where United have played him, due to pretty much every United attacker preferring that role. You look at Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial. They’re all exactly the same.
When asked about playing on the left, Elanga responded:
“It suits me very well,” Elanga told Fotbollskanalen. “At United I play a lot on the right but now I get the chance to play on the left, that is my favourite position. I can do more there. I can go both inside on the pitch and also the outside.”
I get that Elanga is far more effective when he has the option to cut in onto his right foot, but he’s probably too far down the pecking order to be given that opportunity.
Rashford and Sancho will always be preferred from that left-hand side, leaving Elanga in a pretty difficult situation. For his country, the Swede is offered that luxury and it’s great to see him thriving out there.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see what Erik ten Hag’s plans for Elanga are. There’s every chance the Dutchman can see view things differently, but until pre-season, we’ll have to just assume that Elanga will be used off the right.
This does feel like a message from Elanga to the new United manager, though, as he looks to prove his worth to the Old Trafford club.
Do you think Antony Elanga is better on the right or left? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
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