The Man Utd star who has benefitted most from Rangnick
Robin Bairner
- 26 Feb 2022 09:36 GMT
- 3 min read
Manchester United may not have enjoyed a significant bounce from the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager, but that’s not to say that everyone at Old Trafford has not benefitted from the arrival of the German.
There has been a negative narrative in the press that has dominated Rangnick, whose arrival has been the catalyst for reports of a dressing room rift, most notably involving Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Indeed, the Portuguese has struggled to enjoy life under the former Schalke boss. He is presently on a run of one goal in nine – his worst sequence of form for well over a decade.
One young man who has started to thrive at Man Utd since Rangnick arrived, though, is Anthony Elanga.
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Elanga’s star rising at Man Utd
The 19-year-old Sweden Under-21 star made his debut under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last season, but all his appearances this term have come under Rangnick.
Indeed, it is no coincidence that he had not even been in a squad for a Premier League match this season until the German’s first game in charge against Crystal Palace. Since then, there has barely been a game he has not played.
His influence has steadily grown and goals have arrived in fixtures against Brentford and Leeds. Elanga’s most important strike, however, arrived in Wednesday’s Champions League meeting with Atletico Madrid, when he came off the bench to snatch an equaliser when his side was struggling.
It may well be enough to see him start against Watford on Saturday, with the Swede chasing goals in three successive games.
Berbatov on Elanga
“Credit to Rangnick for the way he's introducing Elanga from the bench and to the player for the way he is taking his chances,” Dimitar Berbatov told Betfair.
“With United missing Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial, there could be opportunities to start Elanga. He is growing up quickly, although he still has a lot of maturing to do on the pitch. But I won't be surprised if he's soon starting for United.
“Rangnick and Elanga have a special bond. You see that a lot in football, coaches taking a shine to a talented young player and bringing them through.”
With Rangnick’s future as manager uncertain, that ‘special bond’ is unlikely to last beyond the end of the season, but there is little doubt that he is responsible for truly launching Elanga’s Manchester United career, which is stuffed with promise.
