Anthony Elanga Verdict

Anthony Elanga was signed for £55M supposedly as an upgrade on Jacob Murphy - but the jury is still well out among fans on whether that was money well spent.

Our first target for that RW position was Bryan Mbuemo and that would definitely have been an upgrade and a nailed on successful acquisition. His form at Man U shows that.

Instead it was Elanga who came through the door for a hefty fee that looked steep to many fans even before he had kicked a ball in a black and white shirt.

It is absolutely fair to say that, up to now, Elanga hasn't put in the stand out performances that have convinced fans sceptical before he signed, or since , that he will be worth his fee and bring real added quality to the team.

However, I haven't thrown the towel in on Elanga yet.

I've seen flashes in his game that give me hope that, once Eddie works his training ground magic, we could still see a player that turns into a force for the team and squad.

Elanga's qualities...

Electric pace that can destroy any defender he is up against - his goal last season against Man U was brilliant showing sensational close ball control at speed...

Elanga STUNNING Solo Goal! 🤯 | Forest 1-0 Manchester United | Premier League Highlights

His run through the middle onto a great ball from Gordon led to the sending off against Burnley. What was he doing in that CF position? I reckon it's an Eddie tactic to cover for

Woltemade's lack of pace and tendency to drop deep.

USG - that was his best performance and he also had an assist against Everton and a good spell in the second half against Burnley that got the Gallowgate singing his name for the first time.

In those games his good spells coincided with being direct, taking on the FB and going for the line. I've also noticed he is good at making 'give and go' passes on the run and his passing ability overall - as opposed to just crosses - has surprised me.

Confidence - I don't see a player lacking in confidence, and on that point I'll have to disagree with those fans who reckon that is the case.

What I see is a young player who is still getting to grips with a different role to the 'sling it over onto Wood's head' role that he had at Forest.

Elanga also hasn't had a run in the team and players in that situation either tend to try too hard to make an impression or try too hard not to make a mistake.

You only have to look at how Elliot Anderson performed during his 'in out' games for us compared to being a regular in Forest's side. I'm not saying Elange will step up as dramatically as Anderson did, but until he has a run in the side I won't overly judge him.

However, to get that run he needs to turn in an un-droppable performance.

Whilst he wasn't outstanding against Everton he had IMO a 7/10 game, got an assist, and I was surprised and disappointed that Eddie didn't start him against Spurs.

In summary - I understand the negative opinions some fans have on Elanga but I still think it is way to early to write him off as a poor signing who won't cut it at the Toon.

My guess, and hope, is that it won't be too long before he turns in a blistering MOTM performance that shows exactly why Eddie was so keen to bring him to NUFC.

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