Premier League: Man United sells Anthony Elanga to Nottingham Forest

Elanga rose through the ranks at the club and earned the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in 2020.

Elanga rose through the ranks at the club and earned the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in 2020. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Manchester United confirmed the sale of Swedish forward Anthony Elanga to Nottingham Forest ahead of the Premier League 2023-24 season.

The 21-year-old came through United’s youth academy and made 55 appearance for the club, with his most notable goal being the late strike against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League that sealed a draw for United under then manager Ralf Rangnick.

He made 55 appearances across all competitions for the Old Trafford outfit and has been capped 12 times for Sweden. Though the exact financial details of the deal have not been known, it is estimated to be a 15 million pound transfer, as per reports in Britain.

“It’s a pleasure to be here. It’s a proud moment, not only for me, but for my family as well,” Elanga said in an interview to Forest. “It’s the perfect next step for me in my career... I had interest from elsewhere, but for me, Nottingham Forest feels like the perfect place.”

Elanga made his senior debut for United towards the end of the 2020/21 season, in the Premier League game against Leicester City at Old Trafford. He scored his maiden goal for the first team, helping the Reds win 2-1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers on the last day of the season.

“Anthony has been a fine role model and example for other members of the Academy, and leaves with our sincere best wishes for the future, after Forest won the race for his signature, and tied him to a five-year contract. We would like to thank him for his service at United,” United said in a statement.

Manchester United finished third in the last Premier League season and is looking for new signings ahead of the upcoming season. David de Gea, the goalkeeper with most clean sheets in the history of the club and a club legend has already left, making way for former Inter Milan goalie Andre Onana.

Forest, on the other hand, will look to build on its squad, having finished 16th in its first Premier League campaign in this century. It begins its 2023-24 Premier League season against Arsenal, which finished second last season, five points short of treble-winner Manchester City.