Centre-back Victor Lindelof believes fellow countryman and Manchester United team-mate Anthony Elanga has all of the necessary tools to make a name for himself in years to come, for both club and country.
Lindelof made the admission following Elanga's first Premier League start of the season in United's gut-wrenching 2-2 draw against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday evening.
With Marcus Rashford sidelined because of a dead leg, and Jadon Sancho starting on the bench, Elanga was given the nod by interim Ralf Rangnick to earn a rare start, starting on the left-flank.
Although United were left to reflect on letting a two-goal lead slip, Elanga gave a good and promising account of himself, causing no shortage of problems for Villa right-back Matty Cash, especially in the first half, running at him with pace as often as he could, as he looked to make his mark on proceedings.
Having made a positive impression on the supporters, who were impressed by his cameo appearance against Villa in the FA Cup last Monday, Lindelof is backing his fellow Swede to have a "great future ahead of him."
"Of course, I talk to him a lot," Lindelof United's club website. "He's a great talent and I'm very happy for him, getting more and more minutes at the club.
"He's a young player, a good talent, who comes in here every day and really wants to improve his game. He works very, very hard and I'm pleased for him.
"If he keeps doing the things he's doing at the moment, I think he's going to have a great future ahead of him. It's all about staying humble and to keep working hard."
Despite only being 19, Elanga, who has made six first-team appearances for United this season, will have his sights set on winning a place in Sweden's squad for this year's FIFA World Cup, should they advance through the play-offs in March.
For Lindelof, the youngster's chances of being on the plane to Qatar, should Sweden get the better of the Czech Republic, and then either Russia or Poland, will all rest on if he continues to do the right things at Old Trafford.
The United defender continued: "Maybe, in the future, we'll see. We have quite a lot of young, exciting players coming up in Sweden at the moment. It's a very, very positive thing obviously for me, being captain, as it's always nice to see that - having young players getting into the team.
"To be honest, I don't read that much [of any press coverage in Sweden about Elanga]. Obviously, if you're at United and young and Swedish, of course, there is a lot of talk about you as a player.
"Yes, I think, like I said, he's a top talent who, if he keeps doing the things he's doing at the moment, he can have a bright future ahead of him.
"It's nice to have him at the club as well and I'm trying to help him in any way I can."
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