Manchester United players send messages of support to Anthony Elanga after Middlesbrough penalty miss

Marcus Rashford has led calls for Anthony Elanga to 'keep his head up' after his penalty miss for Manchester United in the FA Cup last night.

Held by Championship opponents Middlesbrough for 120 minutes, the Old Trafford giants then crashed out of the competition 8-7 on spot kicks.

Swedish teenager Elanga was the only player to miss from the spot after goals from Jadon Sancho and Matt Crooks in normal time.

It was a heart-breaking experience for the United starlet, but one that will no doubt make him stronger long-term as players and supporters continue to reach out to him.

Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo - who also missed from 12 yards during the 90 minutes - and other United stars were seen consoling him post-match.

And that has spilled over on to social media.

Addressing his 5.3million followers on Twitter, fellow Academy graduate Rashford said: "Anthony Elanga. Get that head of yours up immediately."

David de Gea posted the player's name alongside a love heart emoji and those supportive messages were backed up by Juan Mata on his Instagram profile.

Uploading a picture of Elanga on to his story, Mata said: "Head up Anthony Elanga. Great guy, great player. We win and lose together."

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Despite those and countless other supportive messages, the United frontman was also subject to vile racist abuse post-match as a spokesperson for Meta - the company which owns Facebook and Instagram - confirmed messages have been removed from his Instagram profile.

An investigation into that sickening response remains ongoing.

Elanga has scored two goals in 11 outings since breaking into the United first-team last season.