On the morning of 22 November 2021, just after 4 a.m., Anthony Erlanga was driving into the car park at United's training ground. If the 19-year-old hadn't done exactly the same thing three weeks ago, the sight could have surprised the club's security team at Carrington base. As you can see, Erlanga was very meticulous in its preparation for the match, with the team flying to Spain and Italy early in the morning before the Europa League against Villarreal and Atalanta. Before the team set off, he also had a full hour and a half of fitness classes. So to ensure he was in his best form in the youth team competition, he travelled early from the house he shared with his family in Greater Manchester to Carrington.
It was this mentality that allowed Erlanga to go from playing in the youth league to scoring in the Champions League knockout rounds in just three months, and the winger was one of the few highlights of United's difficult season. Erlanga equalised against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 knockout rounds, giving Ronnick's side real hope of reaching the quarter-finals, but it was clearly unrealistic for Elaunga to try to save Manchester United in a chaotic season, and in the end the Red Devils failed to take their chances in the second leg and were eliminated at home to a 1-0 defeat. But that didn't stop Erlanga from being remembered by fans and the media as one of the team's most prominent players.
Erlanga's elite mentality and willingness to do whatever it takes to reach professional standards comes from the words and deeds of his father Joseph, a former Malmö defender whose influence on the United youngster is unparalleled. He learned everything he needed, and his father's then-teammate Zlatán Ibrahimović gave Him a glimpse into what a top player should have when he visited his home as a child, which will help him become one of the best players in the world for the next decade or so. Joseph and Elanga's mother, Daniela, ensures that their son grows up to be a focused, well-rounded person and not complacent. They did seem to have succeeded, and people who knew Elanga described him as polite and enjoyable to be with him.
Ellanga's football career began at Yves Elfsburg College and then Malmö College, where he played until he was 11 when his mother decided to move the family to England. After that move, Erlanga joined Hattersley FC Club in Tammeside, impressing the coach there within 10 minutes of his first training session. After a full season, he was named the team's Player of the Year, scoring 17 goals and assisting 27 times in 14 games. Such stats are not surprising, as United quickly recruited Eringa into their academy at the age of 12 and he has impressed every coach he has worked with at the club.
He regularly watches videos of the world's best players and looks for ways to imitate them, especially his idol, Thierry Henry. Several of United's coaches, Neil Wood, Neil Ryan and Colin Little, who are in charge of United's academy, have all played an important role in his upbringing, with the latter said to have had "tremendous support" for all of the club's young strikers. The energetic winger won the Jimmy Murphy Youth Team Player of the Year award in 2020 but suffered a shoulder injury in early 2021 that could have stalled his growth. Instead, Elanga spends time working out in the gym to make sure he gets stronger when he returns to the field. Before returning to the pitch, he repeated some monotonous training sessions alone countless times, and as it turned out, his efforts paid off. In May 2021, on the recommendation of former first-team coach Kieran McKenna, he finally made his first-team debut under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
After getting a taste of professional play, Elanga has been trying to improve herself all summer. The 19-year-old works with a personal trainer who focuses on explosive speed and jump height to improve his header ability. Manchester United's head of player development and coaching, Justin Cochrane, has also worked with Erlanga for different types of work. "It's not just me (who helped)," Cochrane told the media, "I think there's also the staff who have worked with him for years." First of all, he was an excellent young man. He has talent, ability and the right character. I saw his bluntness, you saw his performance in the first team, he had done it before in the youth team. In training, I saw his potential and it was just the beginning. We all hope he continues to impress. That bluntness caught the attention of the first-team coaching staff in the preseason warm-up game against QPR, when Erlanga scored off the bench. After the match, a staff member predicted he would be in the first team this season. They weren't wrong.
However, it would take Ronnick's arrival for Elanga to really get a chance. Under Solskjaer, he had limited opportunities, playing mainly for U23 in the first half of the season. That left Erlanga looking for a loan option ahead of the January transfer window, with Premier League teams and a lot of Championship clubs interested in him, but Lonnick persuaded him to stay. "He came on the pitch against Crystal Palace and a week after that I told him: 'Listen, I want you to stay, I want to see how you do in training and in the game until the transfer window closes,'" Lonnick said. Now he has shown the possibilities in football with the right mindset and the right approach. That's exactly what he does, and it's what he does in every training session. ”
Bruno Fernandez is said to have been an absolute supporter of Erlanga since he entered the first team, and Cristiano Ronaldo also provided advice on the shooting technique and mentality of the teenager. That mentality — he follows a "very fixed routine" before every game, including heading to a private cryotherapy centre to recover his body — and his talent are the reasons Forge have made a breakthrough this season. His goal against Atletico was described by the player as a "dream come true" and early indications were that it would be the first of many memorable moments the young Swede experienced at United. But if they do come, don't expect him to stop those early morning fitness classes.