Manchester United is prepared to enter the Elliot Anderson signing race. Anderson, a midfielder for Nottingham Forest, has become highly sought-after following his spectacular debut for England. The midfielder, who turns 23 next month, is regarded as one of English football’s greatest prospects, and Manchester City and Chelsea have also been keeping an eye on developments.
That has also made United aware that they want to rebuild their midfield as their top priority. They have also considered Adam Wharton, an England potential for Crystal Palace, and Carlos Baleba of Brighton.
However, United also has a lot of respect for Anderson, who made his England debut only in September but has already earned four senior caps and is thought to have a good chance of starting in the World Cup next year.
Although it was considered a huge blow and something they had to do to balance the books and comply with the Profit and Sustainability Rules, Anderson was sold by Newcastle for £35 million last year. Since then, he has made impressive strides as a forward-running player and as a defensive midfielder.
Man Utd switch attention to Elliot Anderson
The midfield for United is still undergoing change. After investing more than £200 million in attacking reinforcements like Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, and Matheus Cunha, focus is now shifting to balancing. It is imperative to hire someone in that department because Casemiro’s contract expires next summer and Bruno Fernandes is drawing outside interest.
Perhaps more important to Forest than any new acquisition is keeping Anderson. He is a key component of Sean Dyche’s plans and has started all 10 of the team’s Premier League and Europa League games recently. He has been compared to players like Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice because of his combination of intensity, poise, and adaptability.
But there are concerns given the £75 million price tag. United must determine if Anderson is the player to develop around or just another costly target that eludes them after years of exorbitant expenditure and erratic recruitment. Given Forest’s insistence on keeping him, it appears that talks would not be easy.
