Anthony Elanga has had a rough time since the appointment of Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.
The 20-year-old winger was a regular fixture under interim manager Ralf Rangnick, even displacing Marcus Rashford for an extended period under the Austrian manager. However, Rashford's return to form alongside the signing of Antony and the emergence of Alejandro Garnacho has put him way down the pecking order.
Therefore when reports emerged this month that clubs such as PSV Eindhoven and Borussia Dortmund were interested in taking Elanga on loan it seemed like the logical move to allow the young winger to leave Old Trafford temporarily and develop his game.
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However, it seems that Ten Hag has found a new role for Elanga at United and this could mean that he remains at Old Trafford this window as it is incredibly important.
United signed Wout Weghorst on loan this month to replace Cristiano Ronaldo to give the side a new presence up front. The 30-year-old has performed admirably so far and allowed the team to play closer to the style of football that Ten Hag wants to play.
Weghorst has played so well in fact that many United fans see Anthony Martial as his deputy already. The 27-year-old has been in decent form when he has played this season, but he has suffered a number of injuries throughout the campaign so far.
This problem with availability however is why United may choose to hold onto Elanga. In his most recent cameos, the Swedish forward has played as a striker, changing his position in the squad from a fifth or sixth-choice winger to a third-choice number nine.
If Martial can't stay fit, Elanga moves up to second choice. United are still in every single competition available to them and are set to face an incredible amount of fixture congestion over the coming months - Weghorst can't play every single game so having a back up is important.
Elanga is not a consistent goalscorer but he has shown flashes of his ability in front of goal for United in the past. Fans will remember his important strike against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last season against Jan Oblak where he placed it perfectly.
Elanga's development may be better served elsewhere, in Germany or the Netherlands, but with United's current issues with squad depth, having him available at a moment's notice is going to be important to the club's ambitions.
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