When Cristiano Ronaldo invited Anthony Elanga to join him in a double trademark ‘SIUUU!’ celebration against Norwich City it spoke volumes about the no.7’s appreciation of the youngster’s efforts.
Pressing high up the pitch, the Sweden international unselfishly teed our top scorer up for the first goal in what proved to be another hat-trick at Old Trafford. And it sparked a nice moment as the pair of them leaped high in the air to mark the opener, as the crowd celebrated the breakthrough.
It was another highlight for Elanga in what has been a fine season on a personal level and, on the eve of his 20th birthday on Thursday, he provided United Review, the official matchday programme, with an exclusive interview ahead of the Bank Holiday assignment with Brentford.
“That was an exciting time, the double SIUUU!” admitted the homegrown forward. “I didn’t expect it. He said: ‘Let’s do it’. I said: ‘Fair enough’ but, if you see in the video, I didn’t really get into the air properly!
“But I managed to do it anyway and it was a special moment.
“He is someone I look up to and speak to and ask for advice and stuff. He is a special player to work with.”
When asked if Cristiano’s gesture was perhaps an illustration of how much he appreciated the assist, Elanga replied: “Yeah, we spoke about it the day before actually. How we were going to work in terms of pressing.
“If you get an opportunity, to look up. If he gets an opportunity, to look up for me, as I’ll be in the box or he will be in the box.”
Credit: Manchester United
