Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United ace Anthony Elanga shares his appreciation for Cristiano Ronaldo
Speaking to the club’s official website, Manchester United youngster Anthony Elanga has shared his appreciation for the experienced players in the dressing room at the club to seek advice from, especially someone like Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo sealed a sensational return to Manchester last summer, heading back to the side where he made his name and won his first Ballon d’Or. The striker made the permanent move from Juventus, after spending three years in Italy.
Elanga, who is having a breakout season at the club under interim manager Ralf Rangnick, said that it was really good to have Ronaldo as a mentor because, despite his age, he was always early at training and ready to help out.
“It’s really good [to have Ronaldo as a mentor] because I go to training quite early and see him there.”
The Swede has really come of his own this campaign, establishing himself in the first team despite having made his debut last term under Rangnick’s predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The player was last seen starting the second leg of the Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid, having scored in the previous leg of the fixture.
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Such has been Elanga’s rise to prominence in 2022 that he has seemingly replaced Marcus Rashford on the wings, with the Englishman dropping behind in the pecking order due to his own poor form as well as Elanga’s emergence and impact on the team.
The 19-year-old credited Ronaldo for being a really good person to be around, especially when the younger players need any help from him and want to speak to him and pick his brains regarding football.
“If we (younger players) need any help we can speak to him, so he’s a really good person to be around.”
37-year-old Ronaldo is nearly twice the age of Elanga, and yet both of them are regular starters for this Man United team. It speaks highly about Ronaldo’s incredible athleticism and fitness, playing at the top in his late 30s, as well as Elanga’s ability to match up and claim a place for himself in the team despite being a youngster.
The academy product also made his debut for the senior Sweden national team over the weekend, further cementing his rise to fame in his first regular-season for the first team at Man United. He has impressed in his performances thus far, and more is expected from him in the coming weeks.
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With the Red Devils currently sitting sixth in the Premier League table and in danger of missing out on a top-four spot. Ronaldo and Elanga will need to be at their best until the summer in order to push the team up the table in order to finish fourth and ensure Champions League football is played at Old Trafford next term.
Elanga certainly has a great mentor in Ronaldo to look up to and take advice from, and hopefully, the new Sweden international is able to soak up these moments to improve his own game and get better. Perhaps one day, he too could be a United legend like Ronaldo.
