Goalkeeper David de Gea has said sensational young striker Anthony Elanga’s equaliser against Atletico Madrid was “massive for him”, and for Manchester United.
The Red Devils drew 1-1 in the first leg of their Uefa Champions League last 16 tie against Atletico on Wednesday.
United were poor in the first half but grew into the match in the second 45 minutes before Elanga netted with 10 minutes left on the clock.
Elanga, 19, is a Swedish youth international who also plays as a winger for United and the Sweden national under-21 team. He joined the United youth system aged 12 and won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in 2020. De Gea joined United from Atletico in 2011 after coming through the Spanish club’s youth academy.
It was the first time in his career that he faced Atletico, and the 31-year-old admitted that it was a “strange experience”.
“It was great to be back at home in Madrid. It was strange because I played for this club but it is football,” De Gea told beIN SPORTS.
“We are Manchester United, we wanted to win. It was a tight game and both teams had a couple of chances in the whole game. The draw is a fair result.
“We came to a very difficult pitch against a very good team. They started with more intensity than us and won the 50-50s. They scored a very good goal.
“In the second half, we showed that we have good character and we played good, scored a goal and everything to play [for]at Old Trafford. “The second leg will be 50-50, both teams can win but with the fans hopefully we can play better than today. Let’s win the game and be in the next round.”
On Elanga, De Gea continued: “He is playing very well. He has been an important player for us, is still very young, and has scored important goals for us. It was massive for him and for us.” –Football365.com
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