Elliot Anderson has confirmed that Ryan Giggs tried to make him change his mind on joining Manchester City during a chance meeting on a golfing trip earlier this summer. Giggs' beloved Manchester United were one of a host of elite clubs to target Anderson in their hunt for midfield reinforcements.
United's pursuit and City's move
While the Red Devils' pursuit of Anderson stretches back over a year, the Old Trafford giants would prioritise overhauling their misfiring attack instead last summer, capturing Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo in a £200million spending spree. It allowed City to muscle themselves into pole position for Anderson before this year's transfer window opened for business, with the then Nottingham Forest star making it clear he favoured a move to the blue half of Manchester.
Talks progressed at a pace over the following weeks and City officially confirmed that they had completed a club-record £116m deal for the 23-year-old England international last month. Anderson has put pen to paper on a five-year contract at the Etihad, tying him to the eight-time Premier League champions until June 2031.
Anderson's first impressions
He is yet to feature in any of City's pre-season games on the back of a gruelling World Cup with the Three Lions, but could be in line to make his debut in the side's Community Shield showdown with Arsenal on Sunday. 'I'm over the moon. It's my first day of training today and the lads have welcomed my really well,' Anderson told reporters during a meet-and-greet at City's club shop on Wednesday. 'Training went well and I'm just getting to grips with everything. It's good.'
'I had a bit of work with him [Enzo Maresca] today and you can see the detail that he goes in to and I'm really looking forward to that.' On the possibility of making his debut in Cardiff this weekend, Anderson added: 'To have the chance to win a trophy in your first week is quite good so hopefully I can get some minutes there and show what I can do.'
Giggs' persuasion attempt
Given the size of the fee City spent to sign him, Anderson is desperate to get started and showcase 'what he does best' on the pitch. 'I want to show everyone what I can do and try not to focus on that [price tag] too much,' he explained. 'But I'm sure over the next season I can show people what I do best.'
Earlier this week, former Manchester United defender Phil Bardsley revealed that he and club legend Giggs had tried to persuade Anderson into moving to Old Trafford while on holiday in Portugal. Asked about the chance meeting, Anderson let out a laugh and replied: 'Yeah, I was just golfing over in Portugal and bumped into a few of them. We had a nice chat and stuff like that but I had a decision to make and I chose City.'
When pressed on whether Giggs and Bardsley came close to persuading him to join United, Anderson bluntly replied: 'No.'
Rodri speculation
Anderson will have been expecting to join forces with Rodri in City's midfield when he first agreed to a move to the Etihad at the start of the summer. But after lifting the World Cup with Spain, speculation has been mounting that the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner could be set for the exit door amid strong interest from La Liga champions Barcelona.
'He's one of the best midfielders in the world and I think anyone would love to play alongside him,' Anderson said when quizzed on the rumours surrounding Rodri. 'I'm not too sure what's happening [with Rodri's future], I'm not getting involved in that, but it will be nice to play with him.'
