Anthony Elanga raised his arms in an almost apologetic manner.
The winger had just fired Nottingham Forest into the lead against former side Manchester United after a dazzling 70-yard run.
But the Swede elected not to celebrate out of respect for the team he joined at the age of 12.
That is despite Elanga’s left-footed finish being the reward of hours of hard work in his own time.
“During lockdown I trained a lot on my left foot,” Elanga told Football Focus’ Dion Dublin.
“I trained for eight months just on my left foot. Constantly, just hitting the ball left foot, left foot, left foot!”
Elanga left his hometown in Malmo, Sweden to join United in 2012 and made his debut for the club in May 2021.
He scored four goals in 55 appearances for before joining Forest in a £15m deal in 2023.
With six goals and eight assists in 31 Premier League appearances this season, the 22-year-old is enjoying his best season to date – a feat the Sweden international puts down to studying the flexibility of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.
“I always use the reference of Thierry Henry,” continued Elanga. “I think he was really good at that, playing on the wing, up front, striker.
“I want to be able to add different traits to my game and be an unpredictable player.”
The improvement in Elanga’s game should come as no surprise, given he hired his own coach for individual work four years ago.
“I always said the best investment you can do is in yourself, it’s in your body, because it is yourself that is going to get you to where you want to go,” said Elanga.
“Why not invest in yourself? Maximise everything you can do, try and make sure you are in the best shape, best form always available. Availability is the best ability.”
