Manchester United gave the second most minutes to teenagers in the Premier League last season. Only Southampton (2,222) were able to beat the 1527 minutes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick were able to give to youngsters, mainly due to the fact that Tino Livramento instantly became a first-team starter for Ralph Hassenhuttl's side.
Most of those minutes were given to Anthony Elanga, with 1217. The Swedish winger was given his debut by Solskjaer at the end of the 2020/21 season, but Rangnick made him a regular on the teamsheet upon his appointment as interim manager after the Norwegian was sacked in November.
Elanga only scored two goals and provided two assists, but he was a bright spark in an otherwise disappointing spell for United as a whole. His movement and commitment to pressing from the front was something that no other player in the forward line could truly offer and that helped him retain his spot on the right-hand side.
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It helped Elanga's case that Marcus Rashford was severely out of form and continued to be until the end of the season. Though naturally left-sided, the winger slotted in ahead of Diogo Dalot on the right without complaint and tried his best to influence the game. His most memorable moment there came in United's Champions League tie away at Atletico Madrid, where he came on and scored the equaliser against Diego Simeone's side.
However, it is clear that Elanga still favours playing off the left. United fans will have seen his goal in Sweden's 2-1 loss to Norway; he receives it on the left, passes it to a player and moves inside before receiving it again and then curling it into the far side of the net. Elanga even admitted himself that he prefers the left.
It seems to be a curse that every young forward that comes to United or is developed in the academy prefers the left-hand side; this is likely due to the preference for creating inside forwards now rather than wingers and of course, most players are right-footed so this side allows them to cut in and shoot. But the issue is in the first team there is a gaping hole on the right-hand side.
Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Elanga are all players that prefer the left. So how does Erik ten Hag solve the problem?
Well, he of course has Facundo Pellistri and Amad at his disposal, who are both suited for different roles on the right-hand side, with the former being a more traditional winger. But Elanga's experience of the league, alongside his versatility, may help him nail down a role in Ten Hag's squad if United are unable to sign another right-winger in the transfer market this summer.
Overall it would be a shame if Elanga — who showed all the qualities under Rangnick that he could develop into a great player at United under the right manager — was pushed to the side under Ten Hag. But if the 20-year-old has shown anything this season, it's that he won't go down without a fight.
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