Despite having been sacked by Manchester United, Erik ten Hag has left behind numerous issues that new manager Amorim is struggling to resolve. Ten Hag's expensive signings, including Antony, Hojlund, Mount, and Zirkzee, have failed to prove themselves at the club, leading to a stockpile of overpriced underperformers. Additionally, Ten Hag drove away several key players from Manchester United. The team is now suffering significant losses due to misplaced trust in Ten Hag, who undervalued and sold their talented winger: now shining in the Premier League and leading his new team to contend for the championship.
Although Manchester United managed to draw with Liverpool, they have gone five consecutive matches without a win, recording one draw and four losses. Currently sitting 13th in the Premier League, they are only seven points above Ipswich, who are third from bottom in the relegation zone. If United's winless streak continues, there is a risk of them falling into the relegation zone. During Ten Hag's tenure at Manchester United, he sold winger Elanga, who joined Nottingham Forest for a transfer fee of 17.5 million euros. This Swedish international has since helped his new team achieve remarkable feats this season.
On January 7th, Beijing time, in the 20th round of the Premier League, Nottingham Forest comfortably defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 away from home. Elanga was directly involved in Nottingham Forest's first goal, providing a cross in the 7th minute for White to score against his former club. In addition to his assist, Elanga made the most key passes in the game with four, as well as being fouled twice, delivering an impressive performance.
In the 16th round of the Premier League, Nottingham Forest beat Villa 3-2, with Elanga scoring the decisive goal. In the 17th round, Nottingham Forest defeated Brentford 2-0, with Elanga netting the second goal. In the 18th round, Nottingham Forest won 1-0 against Tottenham Hotspur, with Elanga scoring the only goal of the match. In the 19th round, Forest triumphed 2-0 over Everton, with Elanga assisting Wood to open the scoring for the team. Nottingham Forest has now achieved six consecutive victories in the Premier League (previously also defeating Manchester United), currently ranking third with 40 points from 20 games. Chelsea follows with 36 points from 20 games in fourth place, Arsenal is second with 40 points from 20 games, and Liverpool leads with 46 points from 19 games.
As a team fighting to avoid relegation in the Premier League, Nottingham Forest's current ranking is truly miraculous. Since leaving Manchester United and joining Nottingham Forest, Elanga has scored eight goals and provided 13 assists in the Premier League over one and a half seasons. In contrast, Antony, who Ten Hag brought to Manchester United from Ajax for 95 million euros and also plays as a right winger, has only scored one goal and provided one assist for United in the same period, failing to score so far this season. Ten Hag's unsuccessful recruitment strategy has proven detrimental to Manchester United.