Manchester United’s latest defeat came at the hands of a former player as ex-red Anthony Elanga scored the only goal of the game in the 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest.
Elanga’s stunning solo effort raised further questions on the club’s decision to part with the Swede, who is enjoying a fine run of form under the guidance of Nuno Espirito Santo.
After the game Ruben Amorim quashed the notion that it was a mistake to let Elanga leave Old Trafford, citing the difference in pressure of playing for United as the reasons behind the 22-year-old’s struggles.
However, as reported by the Express, speaking on The Rest is Football Podcast, Gary Lineker has questioned Amorim’s post match comments.
Lineker stated that players who have made it to the top level have already demonstrated they can cope with the pressures of playing for a club like United.
“I saw him interviewed and we know he’s quite open when he does his interviews and answers every question, but they were saying why are Manchester United players doing well elsewhere? And he was saying, it’s the pressure of playing at a club like Manchester United.
“I’m not buying that, I’m sorry. If you’re playing at any big football club, you need to be able to handle pressure to be there in the first place,” he said.
The former England striker then added Marcus Rashford to the conversation and blamed the culture at Old Trafford for theplayer’s struggles. He saids United need to sort their off field structure in order to see better results on the pitch.
“If you’re Manchester United and you’re seeing all these players that have been part of your squad or team for quite some time doing so well elsewhere, that adds question marks.
It comes from the top in a football club and seeps down. If things are not going well off the pitch, they invariably don’t go well on the pitch,” said Lineker.
Despite the scoreline at Forest, United controlled the game for the majority of proceedings and have shown signs of finally adapting to Amorim’s methods.
The need for additional quality in front of goal is clear but anyone now mourning the loss of Elanga will do well to remember he failed to score in his last 17 months as a United player.
Whether the club could have negotiated a higher fee than the relatively modest £15 million is probably the more relevant question surrounding his departure but Amorim is right to be looking forward rather than backwards in the case of Elanga.
Featured image Alex Pantling via Getty Images
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Conner Botterill
Conner Botterill has been with The Peoples Person for two years. A keen match-going red with degrees in Sport and Journalism and Philosophy and Psychology, Conner still believes he has a chance of making United’s first team through his 5-a-side career.
