Owen Hargreaves has praised Anthony Elanga after he netted a late equaliser to earn Manchester United a 1-1 draw in the first-leg of their Champions League last-16 tussle with Atletico Madrid on Wednesday evening.
After stepping off the bench to replace Marcus Rashford, Elanga latched onto Bruno Fernandes' pass to cooly slot home an 80th-minute equaliser to earn United a draw ahead of the second-leg at Old Trafford next month.
The Swede, who also stepped off the bench to score against Leeds United on Sunday, finished with incredible composure to ensure United remain in a strong position to progress to the quarter-finals.
Having struggled to get in behind the Atletico defence prior to his introduction, United instantly looked brighter and more aggressive following the 19-year-old's arrival.
For Hargreaves, it was Elanga's energy and desire that made all the difference.
He told BT Sport : "I thought Elanga just gave them a bit of urgency and a bit of intensity.
"There wasn't anybody really running in behind. He's only 19 but he runs hard. He plays with an urgency which you need.
"Young kids are often fearless because they haven't really failed. He galvanised United. In the last 10 minutes, they looked a lot better."
Alongside Hargreaves in the BT Sport studio was fellow former United man Rio Ferdinand and he also pinpointed the youngster's lack of fear.
"I think Owen hit the nail on the head earlier," Ferdinand said. "He plays with no fear, goes out there and all he wants to do is impress.
"He is desperate to go out there and put his name in lights. He is desperate to come off the pitch and get a pat on the back and he will do anything to do that.
"There is an honesty to his game, that raw honesty that you love when you see a young player coming through. He has the willingness to run after balls that others would consider dead balls.
"He tries things without having the fear that you could get criticised for something. What he is about is that he is a pleaser."
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