Anthony Elanga

Last updated

Anthony Elanga
Anthony Elanga (Sweden vs Moldova, 12 October 2023).jpg
Elanga with Sweden in 2023
Personal information
Full name Anthony David Junior Elanga [1]
Date of birth (2002-04-27) 27 April 2002 (age 23) [2]
Place of birth Malmö, Sweden
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) [2]
Position(s) Forward, winger
Team information
Current team
 Newcastle United
Number 20
Youth career
2008–2013 IF Elfsborg
2014 Malmö FF
2014–2015 Hattersley
2015–2021 Manchester United
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2021–2023 Manchester United 39 (3)
2023–2025 Nottingham Forest 74 (11)
2025– Newcastle United 3 (0)
International career‡
2018–2019 Sweden U17 5 (2)
2019 Sweden U19 3 (0)
2021 Sweden U21 8 (7)
2022– Sweden 22 (4)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 11:24, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 21:31, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

Anthony David Junior Elanga (born 27 April 2002) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Premier League club Newcastle United and the Sweden national team.

Contents

Elanga joined the Manchester United youth system aged 12 and won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in 2020. He made his senior debut for the club in a Premier League game against Leicester City in May 2021. He represented Sweden at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels, before making his senior national team debut in 2022.

Early life

Elanga was born in the Hyllie ward of Malmö, Sweden, when his Cameroonian father Joseph Elanga was playing for Malmö FF. Besides his native Swedish, Elanga speaks English and French. [3] [4]

Club career

Manchester United

Youth

After playing for IF Elfsborg and Malmö FF in Sweden, [5] Elanga's family moved to England and settled in Manchester. Elanga briefly played for local club Hattersley, and was scouted by both Manchester City and Manchester United before joining United at the age of 12. [6] [7] Elanga debuted for the United under-18s at the age of 15 in a 2–1 away defeat to Liverpool in April 2018. [8] He signed as an academy scholar at United in July 2018, [9] and scored four goals in 22 appearances in his first full season playing for the Under-18s. [10]

The following season, Elanga played twice for the Under-21s in the EFL Trophy, both as a substitute. He finished the COVID-shortened season as the Under-18s' top scorer in the league with seven goals in nine appearances, and won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award. [11] He played four times for the club's under-21 side in the 2020–21 EFL Trophy, scoring twice.

2020–2022: Debut and breakthrough

Elanga with Manchester United in 2022 Anthony Elanga Manchester United (cropped).jpg
Elanga with Manchester United in 2022

Elanga made his first-team debut for United in a pre-season friendly against Aston Villa ahead of the 2020–21 Premier League season; he came on as a substitute for Marcus Rashford in the 75th minute of a 1–0 defeat. After signing a new long-term contract with the club in March 2021, [12] he was called up to the first team for the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League quarter-final matches against Granada in April, but was an unused substitute in both legs, as well as in the second leg of the semi-final against Roma on 6 May.

Elanga made his competitive debut for the club on 11 May in a league fixture against Leicester City. [3] He was replaced by Marcus Rashford in the 66th minute as United lost 2–1. [13] He started again away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on the final day of the league season, and scored his first United goal after 13 minutes. [14] Elanga scored his second league goal for United on 19 January 2022 in a 3–1 away win against Brentford, [15] his first of the season. [16] On 4 February that year, Elanga missed his team's last penalty in a 8–7 shootout against Middlesbrough during their FA Cup tie, knocking United out of the Cup for the season. [17] On 23 February, Elanga scored his first UEFA Champions League goal against Atlético Madrid in the Round of 16 first leg, the final score was 1–1. [18]

Nottingham Forest

On 25 July 2023, it was announced that Elanga had signed a five-year deal with Nottingham Forest for a reported £15 million transfer fee. [19] [20] [21] He scored his first goal in a 1–0 away win against Chelsea on 2 September. [22] On 26 December 2024, Elanga scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory in a Premier League home game against Tottenham Hotspur. On 1 February 2025, he provided a hat-trick of assists in a 7–0 victory over Brighton. [23] On 1 April, Elanga scored the only and winning goal for Forest against his former club Manchester United. [24] He concluded the 2024–25 season with a career-high six goals. [25]

Newcastle United

On 11 July 2025, Elanga joined Newcastle United for a reported £55 million transfer fee. [26] [27] [28] On 16 August, he made his debut for the club in a 0–0 draw against Aston Villa in the league. [29]

International career

Elanga was eligible to play for Sweden, Cameroon or England at international level. [30] He has represented Sweden at under-17, under-19, under-21 and senior levels. [31]

Elanga played five times for the Sweden under-17 team and scored two goals, both against France in the 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. [31] He played his first game for the Sweden under-21 team and scored one goal in a friendly against Finland on 3 June 2021. [32]

Elanga chose to represent Sweden at a senior level, citing being born and having spent the majority of his life there, as well as the country meaning a lot to him as the reasons behind his decision. [33] He was named in the international squad of Janne Andersson for the World Cup qualifiers against the Czech Republic in March 2022, where he also made his debut as a late-game substitute. [34] [35]

Elanga scored his first goal at senior international level on 5 June 2022 in a 1–2 loss against Norway in a 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B game. [36]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 30 August 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague FA Cup EFL Cup Europe OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Manchester United U21 2019–20 [37] ————2 [a] 020
2020–21 [38] ————4 [a] 242
Total000000006262
Manchester United 2020–21 [38] Premier League 21000000—21
2021–22 [39] Premier League21220103 [b] 1—273
2022–23 [40] Premier League16010405 [c] 0—260
Total39330508100554
Nottingham Forest 2023–24 [41] Premier League3652010——395
2024–25 [42] Premier League3864010——436
Total74116020——8211
Newcastle United 2025–26 Premier League30000000—30
Career total116149070816214617
  1. 1 2 Appearances in EFL Trophy
  2. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  3. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 6 June 2025 [43]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Sweden 202291
202342
202460
202531
Total224

Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Elanga goal.

List of international goals scored by Anthony Elanga
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
15 June 2022 Friends Arena, Solna, SwedenFlag of Norway.svg  Norway 1–21–2 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B
227 March 2023Friends Arena, Solna, SwedenFlag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan 5–05–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
316 June 2023Friends Arena, Solna, SwedenFlag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 4–14–1 Friendly
425 March 2025 Strawberry Arena, Solna, SwedenUlster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland 5–05–1Friendly

Honours

Manchester United

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "2021/22 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 10 September 2021. Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Anthony Elanga: Overview". Premier League. Archived from the original on 3 June 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  3. 1 2 Wood, Liam (11 May 2021). "Who is Anthony Elanga? Manchester United youngster in profile as he makes debut vs Leicester City". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  4. ↑ Fagerlund, Frida (25 February 2022). "Så blev Anthony Elanga Sveriges nya stjärna – var nära att lämna Manchester United". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  5. ↑ "Elanga efter landslagsdebuten" [Elanga after the national team debut]. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019.
  6. ↑ "Elanga after landslagsdebuten – Svensk fotboll". svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). 5 September 2018. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  7. ↑ ""Otroligt hög nivå – jag har inga ord för det"" [Incredibly high level – I have no words for it]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). 16 April 2021. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  8. ↑ Marshall, Adam (16 August 2018). "Lessons learned ahead of Liverpool". Manchester United F.C. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  9. ↑ Marshall, Adam (6 July 2018). "United's academy intake for 2018/19". Manchester United F.C. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  10. ↑ Marshall, Adam (20 June 2019). "Elanga learns from tournament experience". Manchester United F.C. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  11. ↑ Marshall, Adam (17 September 2020). "Elanga wins prestigious Jimmy Murphy award". Manchester United F.C. Archived from the original on 7 December 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  12. ↑ "Elanga signs new United contract". Manchester United F.C. 16 March 2021. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  13. ↑ Stone, Simon (11 May 2021). "Man City Premier League champions as Leicester City beat Manchester United". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  14. ↑ Rose, Gary (23 May 2021). "Wolves 1–2 Manchester United: Nuno Espirito Santo beaten in final game". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  15. ↑ "Brentford v Man Utd, 2021/22". Premier League. 19 January 2022. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  16. ↑ McNulty, Phil (19 January 2022). "Brentford 1–3 Man Utd: Marcus Rashford gives visitors comfortable win". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  17. ↑ Stone, Simon (4 February 2022). "Man Utd stunned by Middlesbrough after FA Cup shootout defeat". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 4 February 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  18. ↑ Bernstein, Dan (23 February 2022). "Watch: Elanga scores Man Utd equaliser against Atletico Madrid in Champions League last 16". Goal (website). Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  19. ↑ "Forest complete signing of Anthony Elanga". Nottingham Forest F.C. 25 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  20. ↑ "Elanga moves to Nottingham Forest". Manchester United F.C. 25 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  21. ↑ "Anthony Elanga: Nottingham Forest sign Sweden forward from Man Utd". BBC Sport. 25 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  22. ↑ Summerscales, Robert (2 September 2023). "Mauricio Pochettino Suffers First Chelsea Loss As Nottingham Forest Earn Rare Win At Stamford Bridge". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  23. ↑ Howarth, Matthew (1 February 2025). "Nottingham Forest 7–0 Brighton & Hove Albion". BBC Sport.
  24. ↑ Fisher, Ben (1 April 2025). "Electric Elanga haunts Manchester United with Nottingham Forest winner". The Guardian.
  25. ↑ Furniss, Matt (10 July 2025). "Is Anthony Elanga the Right Man for Newcastle's Mission to Upgrade?". Opta Analyst.
  26. ↑ "Anthony Elanga signs for Newcastle United". Newcastle United F.C. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  27. ↑ "Elanga completes Newcastle move". Nottingham Forest F.C. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  28. ↑ "Newcastle confirm £55m signing of Forest winger Elanga". BBC Sport. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  29. ↑ "Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa sees red as Newcastle draw blank without Isak". 16 August 2025. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  30. ↑ "Så påverkar Victor Nilsson Lindelöf talangens landslagsval" [This is how Victor Nilsson Lindelöf influences the talent's national team choice]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). 5 June 2021. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  31. 1 2 "Anthony Elanga – Spelarstatistik". Svensk Fotboll (SvFF). Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  32. ↑ "United-talangens nya succé – slår till för Sverige". Aftonbladet. 3 June 2021. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  33. ↑ Flinck, Johan (22 March 2022). "Fotbolls-VM: Anthony Elanga: "Därför valde jag Sverige"". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  34. ↑ "Sveriges trupp till VM-playoff – Anthony Elanga uttagen". Expressen (in Swedish). 16 March 2022. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  35. ↑ "Sverige är klart för play-off-final till VM 2022. Vann mot Tjeckien". Expressen (in Swedish). 24 March 2022. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  36. ↑ "1–2 förlust mot Norge". Svensk Fotboll (in Swedish). 5 June 2022. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  37. ↑ "Games played by Anthony Elanga in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  38. 1 2 "Games played by Anthony Elanga in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  39. ↑ "Games played by Anthony Elanga in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  40. ↑ "Games played by Anthony Elanga in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  41. ↑ "Games played by Anthony Elanga in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  42. ↑ "Games played by Anthony Elanga in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  43. ↑ "Anthony Elanga". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  44. ↑ McNulty, Phil (3 June 2023). "Manchester City 2–1 Manchester United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  45. ↑ Stone, Simon (26 May 2021). "Villarreal 1–1 Manchester United (11–10 on pens): David de Gea spot kick saved in epic Europa League final shootout". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  46. ↑ Marshall, Adam (17 September 2020). "Anthony Elanga wins Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year". Manchester United F.C. Archived from the original on 7 December 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
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