Man United boss Ruben Amorim has hit back at suggestions that the Red Devils made a mistake by selling Anthony Elanga to Nottingham Forest.
Elanga, 22, netted a stunning winner against his former club on Tuesday night as Forest condemned United to their 13th Premier League defeat of the season.
After picking up the ball just outside his own penalty area, Elanga burst away up the pitch and then finished with aplomb past Andre Onana, although he refused to celebrate his fifth minute strike.
The winger, who came through the youth ranks at Old Trafford before joining Forest for £15million in the summer of 2023, is in the midst of a brilliant season after netting seven goals and adding eight assists in the top flight.
And, given his match-winning display at the City Ground, Amorim was pressed on whether United were wrong to sell the 22-year-old.
'We are talking about a lot of front players for Manchester United that are doing right but they had the chance here,' the Portuguese said.
'At Manchester United you don't have the time. I will not have the time. We have to get it right fast.'
Elanga has 28 goal contributions in his two seasons with Forest, a record that beats any wide player who has been at United during that time.
This has included the struggles of Antony, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho - an unwanted trio who have been shipped out on loan - but Amorim was steadfast in his view.
'You are not talking about players that didn't play for Manchester United,' he added. 'They were here playing for Manchester United.
'In here the pressure is too big sometimes and sometimes you don't get time and you should have time for these kids to develop.
'But for that you need a strong base to support all these kids and if you don't have strong base we are not going to help our kids.
'They had their chances and sometimes football is like that and the pressure of playing for Manchester United is really big.'
Elanga had initially joined United at the age of 12 after his family moved from Sweden to England and he made his first team debut aged 19 in May 2021.
The winger went onto score four goals in 55 appearances for the Red Devils, but after growing frustrated at a lack of regular opportunities, he moved to the City Ground just under two years ago.
Speaking to The Times back in February 2024, Elanga had opened up on his exit from Old Trafford.
'It was difficult [to leave] but it was needed because I wanted to play and I didn't want to spend another season just playing ten minutes or not playing for ten games,' he explained.
'I wanted a fresh start but I knew it wouldn't be easy leaving a club that I had been at for nine years.
'Sometimes football is like that, it might not always work somewhere. I had seen what he (Erik ten Hag) did at Ajax (with young players) so I was looking forward to it but I just didn't get the opportunities.'
Meanwhile, speaking after his goal - which TNT Sports revealed saw him cover a remarkable 85 metres in nine seconds - Elanga said: 'It’s about attacking the space and getting to the opposite goal as quick as I can. I saw the space and I believe I'm one of the fastest players in the league.
‘I appreciate Manchester United so much, as I learned a lot there.’
'(85 metres) with the ball,’ Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo added. ‘Imagine without the ball!
‘It was very special. He has the capacity to drive with pace and still be able to control the ball. It’s very difficult and requires a lot of technique.’
The victory solidified Forest's position in third place in the top flight, with Nuno's side well-placed to qualify for Europe's elite club competition for the first time since 1980-81.
United remain in 13th place, 12 points off the top four after failing to score in a league game for the 11th time this season.