Elanga ran 85 metres in nine seconds with the ball before scoring the only goal against Manchester United last night as Forest held their position at 3rd in the table. The 22-year-old spent two years at Old Trafford before joining Forest and spoke about the differences between the two sides after the game.
“I appreciate Manchester United so much because I learnt a lot there. I took another step to come here (to Forest) and I have learnt a different type of football here as well.
“All you want to do is to keep on improving and I feel like coming here is about playing and developing every day. I know I’m not the finished article - I can always improve in every single area.”
Forest sit a comfortable third in the Premier League table despite their low possession. Elanga opened up about being effective with the ball rather than holding it and controlling the game, which is key to Forest’s success.
“It’s not rocket science - you can see it all over the internet,” says Elanga. “We have probably got the lowest possession in the league but it has been effective and it is something we have been working on since pre-season.
“It’s a different type of football but it’s important for a player to be able to play different types of football. At the same time, you want to play football - you want to have the ball. But we have got qualities to hit teams on the counter.”
A few more points will guarantee a Champions League place for Nuno’s side and despite Elanga stating tactics are not rocket science he went on to explain that they are more complicated than they seem.
"We have changed the way we want to play this season as well. It’s not just always sitting back and hitting on the counter. Sometimes, I can roam, I can go into the number ten.
“It’s about every player finding the space and working for each other and that is what we have been doing this season. Every player can play every position and that togetherness is important. It shows on the pitch - how we work for each other. We have got 13 clean sheets so far and hopefully many more to go.”