A lesser-known youth striker saved Manchester United in European competition, last time with England star Marcus Rashford. While Master La was in decline, 19-year-old Swedish fast horse Antoni Erlanga took up the baton. In the Champions League game at Atletico Madrid, he scored five minutes off the bench to secure a draw for United. This goal made 19-year-old and 302-day-old Erlanga the youngest Champions League knockout stage goal scorer in Manchester United's history.
Before Lonnick took charge of Manchester United, Erlanga had already decided to leave the team and rent out for training. Under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the less-known Swedish youngster will certainly not get too many opportunities to play. But Lonnick has different employment standards, and Erlanga's physical style of play and positive attitude make him the perfect candidate in the tactical system of the new coach.
Since Lonnick took charge, Erlanga has scored three goals in 13 appearances, the last two of which have been significant. In the Premier League at Leeds United, his score sealed the win, while against Atletico Madrid equalised. Ronnick's trust paid off, as he did when he coached Schalke 04, Hoffenheim and Red Bull Leipzig in Germany, a lesser-known but practical player who best suited Lonnick's appetite.
"I didn't know much about him before I came. Of course, apart from his name, I've heard of Eranga before, but I don't know what he's like as a player because he hasn't played much for Manchester United." Lonnick said, "In the first training session before the Crystal Palace game, he was the best player in training. I asked the coaching staff and found that he had almost certainly left the club on loan. But after the Battle of Crystal Palace, I said to him, 'Listen, before the winter window closes, I want you to stay for a while and see how you train.' I think he showed the right mentality, the right way of playing, what he can do in the game. He's doing it in games, and it's doing it in training."
Lonnick even called on the United squad to learn from Erlanga: "All the games he has played so far have shown that he put all his passion and fun into the game, he just enjoyed himself on the pitch. He was well aware of his strengths, assets and weapons, and always tried to exploit and exploit his characteristics. That's what he did today, he was playing with a dream come true. In addition to scoring goals, he has two or three wonderful runs, and whenever he does, you suddenly find that Atletico are in trouble. But the players in our other positions have to show that as well, not just Anthony (Erlanga), everyone has to play like this. If we want to qualify at Old Trafford in a few weeks, we have to play like this for the whole team."
After the game, Erlanga revealed that when Lonnick arranged for him to play, he told him to go on the field to make the Atletico defenders afraid. "I dreamed of a moment like this when I was a kid, to score in the Champions League against a big club like Atletico, and that's a true dream come true." "I remember, it was the first time I touched the ball since I came out and the coach told me to go through the running position and cut into the gap behind the defender to make Atletico feel terrified. When I really get a chance, I want to end with a goal and give back to the fans, because they come from afar to cheer for the team. It's only the first leg and we have to be ready for the second half at Old Trafford."
Erlanga added: "I can tell you that whenever I get a chance, I am very calm because I want to repay the manager's trust and put in 150% of the effort on the pitch. I can only do my best to strive to be the best player on the field, as a way to thank the manager for his trust. You have to keep playing and anything can happen. We didn't play well in the first half, but we improved after the substitution in the second half."
Elaanga may not have a super body, delicate technique or extraordinary talent, but he has won success with his diligence and simplicity, just like Park Ji-sung under the former Fu Jue, telling people that the football field is also a heavenly reward. And this is also the reason why Rashford gradually lost after becoming famous, he thought too much about the factor of fame and profit, and lost the pure attitude when playing football. Manchester United fans hope that Ellanga will not repeat the mistakes of the past.