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Paul Parker labels Anthony Elanga the 'future of Manchester United'
Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker believes Manchester United youngster Anthony Elanga has lofty potential at Old Trafford.
Elanga burst onto the scene at Old Trafford last season, when Ralf Rangnick put his trust in the 20-year-old to try and provide some positivity in an otherwise dire season for the Red Devils.
The Sweden international did just that and he’s now amassed an impressive 36 appearances for United, as well as four goals.
He’s clearly held in high regard at United, but Parker has gone a step further by suggesting he can be “the future of Manchester United”.
“He has the chance to become the future of Manchester United, but I don’t want to talk about potential before he has actually shown that he has a big potential,” said Parker, as quoted by Football365.
But while Parker was full of praise, he also criticised Elanga for his tendency to dive.
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“He has a lot of work to do. He hasn’t done himself any justice when he has played, and now he needs to go back to basics. He should do what he is good at, which is showing energy, and play and move fast.”
“He needs to perform on a consistent basis. Elanga has to focus on playing and not falling to the ground when somebody is touching him. He is better than that.”
High hopes
Elanga is definitely viewed as a future star at Manchester United. Not only was he on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Rangnick’s radar at Old Trafford, but he’s also remained a regular first-team player under Erik ten Hag.
The arrival of Jadon Sancho and Antony in recent seasons will definitely hinder his progress though. Sancho and Antony were both brought in for huge fees and have been slotted into Ten Hag’s starting lineup.
With Sancho and Antony now bolstering the attacking ranks, the Red Devils are overflowing with young talent. Add Marcus Rashford to the mix and suddenly Elanga drops even further down the pecking order.
So to label Elanga the “future of Manchester United”, is probably a bit hopeful, but he’s definitely part of a group of young attackers who have long-term futures at Old Trafford.
It’s down to Elanga to now convince Ten Hag to fit him into the starting lineup, and his only way of doing that is by impressing during his substitution appearances.
In other Manchester United news, the Red Devils are in talks to sign Liverpool target and Chicago Fire attacker Jhon Duran