Yeah, I'm going to echo this. Not based on this game or that pen, I just don't see it.
Nothing about his play stands out and shouts top player. His best attribute is his work-rate, not ideal for an attacking player.
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Nothing about his play stands out and shouts top player. His best attribute is his work-rate, not ideal for an attacking player.
If all his overrated and overpaid teammates been the least competent they wouldn't have put him in that shit situation.
Honestly, even watching him for the u23s didn't fill me with hope in regards to him having the potential to make it here. It's a shame we've come to a point where he's an important player now. Even if he doesn't start he's going to be our go-to super sub.
I agree completely. Looks calm, hungry, down to earth and to have a good attitude, bags of pace and can develop into a decent player.....a decent Manchester United player though, personally not so sure...early days though
Just need to continue starting him next game. He will make it here.
The worst of the game today is that Hannibal doesn’t get a single minute!
The worst of the game today is that Hannibal doesn’t get a single minute!
As soon as I saw his short run up, I had a bad feeling. Tough on Elanga, but hope he learns from it and comes back stronger. Glad to see some of our players embracing him afterwards. I’m sure he’ll bounce back
Ah feckin ell, looked to be coming into the fold with confidence then misses the pen.
Hope the senior players pick him up and say these big moments have happened to them all at certain parts of their career. Long way to go for the lad hopefully.
Hope the senior players pick him up and say these big moments have happened to them all at certain parts of their career. Long way to go for the lad hopefully.
Not sure why Shaw didn't take it or even Jones. Pressure was huge on the kid.
We haven't come to a point where he's an important player at all. He's 19 years old playing his first few senior appearances, he has plenty of potential, let's not shit on him because the senior players couldn't be bothered taking a penalty.
He was also ignored countless times when running off the shoulder of the defender into space, any winger would also look naff when their full back doesn't make a run to take a defender away and then they're faced with 2/3 defenders, it was the same for Sancho.
Jones has missed in 2 shootouts and Shaw bundled it in in the Europa League I think. Elanga being an attacking player was probably the right call.
You've clearly forgotten Jones' penalty in the league cup semi against Sunderland. I'm still in therapy over that. And the ball is still in orbit somewhere.
I hope he gets another chance on the field quickly and is able to contribute to prevent this from lingering.
He didn’t look confident in the walk up and then he took 2 steps back ... writing was on the wall....
These things happen
why was he out RW when he’s been decent on the left in the past Few games
These things happen
why was he out RW when he’s been decent on the left in the past Few games
Not Jones , still haven’t got over his last one
He definitely is an important player now. He either starts or is our go-to sub to change a game. That's important for the rest of the season.
& I'm not shitting on him. I'm just saying I don't, and never have having watched him a lot in our youth team, rated him that highly. Nothing to do with tonight.
And look, I hate to be that guy… and I don’t really care about the penalty (Ronaldo missed one in the CL final and Rashford in the Euros final FFS, it can happen to anyone) but he also missed 2 of our 3 best chances in normal time, after their frankly insane equaliser… He’s just not that guy, and it doesn’t look like he’ll become that guy… young Rashford* and Ronaldo also score those, because that’s how they became the kind of high profile players we eventually get annoyed at for not doing what we expect of them when their out of sorts/37.
And saying a more experienced defender should’ve taken a pen instead is a weird flex… He’s a forward. You’d always prefer a forward to take a pen over a defender. It’s what they’re supposed to do! It’s their bread and butter. I don’t blame him for missing.. in fact I’d prefer him to do so than need protecting from his most basic of tasks by some iffy older defenders because we have that little confidence in him…
I really hope he comes on from this, but my cruellest most cynical side says these are kinds of moments that ultimately decide who is gonna step up and who isnt… And yeah Greenwood is an awful evil shithouse, but he had the quality to step up when his time came… and if we want to fill his place in the squad, it’s likely gonna take more than a nice but only somewhat talented workhorse to do so. It sucks but it’s true.
But hey, hopefully someone will quote this in 5 years as a source of ridicule. I’d love that.
(*In fact Rashford is a good example of a player who didn’t really have the talent of a Greenwood, let alone a Ronaldo, but took all his early chances with such gusto that it basically propelled him into a top level category on its own… it makes that much of a difference)
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Confidence destroyed.
See you next season.
See you next season.
Neither do I, he's getting by on attitude not talent.
Had a poor game and unfortunately cracked under pressure during penalties, but I have confidence with more playing time he'll slowly improve his composure.
Am I missing some chances he had? I only remember his header at the back post - I don’t think I’ve ever seen Greenwood score a header for the first team and Rashford hasn’t scored one in years so I’m slightly confused how him missing a header means “he’s not that guy” unlike them - at 19 in his like 5th senior appearance. What other chances did he have?
You've pretty much nailed it.
It's annoying, imagine his attitude with the talent of Greenwood, now that would be the dream. As it stands now, he will be a squad player at best. Funny enough, his selflessness is bit of weakness, you need a certain of arrogance to make a top player, something the shithouse Greenwood has.
"Only Cristiano can miss pens. You know that, right?"
No blame for the penalty at all as one of our players had to miss at some point and there was no chance Henderson was going to save one or even put the opposing player under any pressure to miss the target.
He has been a rare bright spot this year and I believe he will continue to improve for us.
He has been a rare bright spot this year and I believe he will continue to improve for us.
Attitude can get you very far. Just ask Jordan Henderson.
Not everyone can be Ronaldinho.
Not everyone can be Ronaldinho.
He had two headers. One from a Fred cross he should’ve glanced in but hit full on the forehead and the other at the back post that went straight at the keeper.
And Rashford scored a header against Arsenal in his first ever PL game and Greenwood scored a late headed winner against Brighton last season. It shouldn’t really matter what body part they score or don’t score with really, it’s about having that cutting edge, and not…
And look, I hope I’m wrong. I’m simply reacting as I see it to a disappointing result. But I generally feel when you bring a young player on to impact the game, and the most significant things they do are miss their chances, it’s a sadly unfortunate sign that they probably aren’t going to cut it as the next big thing…. Sport is all about these kinds of moments. it’s cruel and shitty, and I hope it’s wrong, but pretending otherwise would be a lie…. or a rather pointlessly supportive forum post that he isnt going to see.
Weird post. Greenwood is absolute wank at headers, can’t remember him scoring one, and as for shooting, apart from the occasional tap-in, he’s been doing his classic trickle-shot for ages where a 4 year-old would have gotten more power behind it.
If you’re just saying Greenwood’s more talented, well yeah. He was probably more talented than every other young player in the world apart from 2 or 3. We produce Greenwood-level talents about once every couple of decades. It would be pretty strange for anyone to expect Elanga, or any other academy product, to be that.
There’s a middle ground between that, and not being good enough for United, though. A middle ground which dozens of successful players have fallen into over the years.
Young Ronaldo made a habit out of missing those types of chances and a very fair criticism of him was that he rarely showed up in the biggest moments.
We can maybe give it more than a handful of games where he has looked good to be saying whether or not he has "it"
That’s fair. And hopefully he gets there. He just isn’t yet.
Ronaldo: "You're too young to know this but in Total Recall there was a Martian woman and she had a third tit right here. Honestly it's true Anthony."
"Only Cristiano can miss pens. You know that, right?"
Elanga thinking: "[wtf why is Ronaldo such a weird freak]"
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Ronaldo also scored in the FA cup final - with a header at the back post! - at a year younger. He very clearly had ‘it’ from the get go, however raw he was.
Look, I’m definitely being over critical here, I just haven’t really seen anything about him yet that really convinces me he should be our go to first sub… and I dont think we can spend yet another year whinging about how shit we are with any sincerity whilst also insisting we champion the talents of more just about above average players. And as I’m not exactly sending these posts directly to his mum, I don’t particularly see the harm in saying so… I’m actively desperate to be wrong, if anything.
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For now ...
He is actually pretty decent in the air so was surprised he didn’t score.
Eventually someone had to miss it. Just hope this doesn't affect Elanga much mentally.
He's a solid workhorse winger with good movement who's developing at senior level, I'm never a fan of short run-ups but no issues with the penalty miss, it happens and we should have had the game done and dusted comfortably in 90 minutes.
He needs to be mentally looked after. If we win a pen he should get the chance to bury it.
Don't hold your breath.
Keep your head up kid. Shit happens. He's been a solid addition to the squad. Needs work on his game but the tools and desire are there.
I agree with your assessments…..I like Elanga in u23s but not sure he looks special enough to make it here. He certainly hasn’t shown anything in the first team other than workrate to be playing there.
Jesus guys, he's only 19 and still in a development phase of his career. Yet so many of you professional scouts or coaches here have decided he has ready for the bin.
Nothing to suggest that he is not of a required quality. Looked decent. Still just 19.
To be honest, I have no doubt Greenwood would not have been in that position for the guilt edge headed chance. It was a bad miss but one of Elanga's strengths is his movement and desire to get on the end of crosses (and his heading until yesterday has been good), whereas Greenwood for all his technical ability with both feet had the movement of a mannequin and the desire to get on the end of the square root of zero.
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