Elanga got plenty of playing time in Jon Dahl Tomasson's first four national team matches last year.
He also got the trust from the start when it became serious in the Nations League premiere against Azerbaijan. A weak performance there and he was left out of the starting lineup in the remaining five matches during the autumn.
In the latest gathering in November, he didn't even get a place in the squad. Elanga didn't answer the national team captain's phone calls.
Called himself
The buzz on that thread was resolved by the 22-year-old.
I just wanted to call him and talk. And we had a really good chat, says Elanga about the conversation a couple of weeks ago.
We talked about how it's going well for me in Nottingham. He's a very good coach but also a fantastic person.
Exactly what they talked about remains between the national team captain and the player. But what's been has been, emphasizes Anthony Elanga during Monday's press conference with the national team in Marbella.
I'm just happy to be here now. I want to help the national team move forward and make two good matches here. It's always an honor to represent the national team. I'm happy that Jon gave me the chance to come back.
The Swedish football bosses are gathered in Spain ahead of the national team matches away against Luxembourg on Saturday and at home against Northern Ireland on Tuesday next week.
And Elanga comes to the gathering in radiant form.
Hunting Arsenal
He has participated in all 29 league matches this season and has coach Nuno Espirito Santos' trust. He has contributed strongly to Nottingham's strong season with five goals and eight goal-scoring passes.
The two latest goals came in Saturday's 4-2 win over Ipswich.
The opportunity is good that he makes his numerically best season in the Premier League and clears last season's five goals and nine assists.
With nine matches left to play, Nottingham lies third, on a Champions League spot. The gap down to fourth-place Chelsea and fifth-place Manchester City is five and six points, respectively.
The distance up to second-place Arsenal is four points.
We still have nine important matches left. We want to finish the season as high as possible in the league. Many talk about the Champions League and Europa, it's an opportunity. But we must continue to win matches, says Elanga.
