Elliot Anderson has revealed that Manchester United players tried to convince him to join them instead of Manchester City. The midfielder completed a £116 million transfer from Nottingham Forest to the Etihad Stadium earlier this summer, with the agreement announced while he was representing England at the World Cup in North America.
United players made their pitch
City beat off competition from rivals United for the transfer, with the Red Devils identifying Anderson as a target in their midfield rebuild. He has now revealed that some members of Michael Carrick’s squad tried their best to help their club complete the transfer.
Speaking about conversations with United players while on holiday, Anderson said: “I was just golfing in Portugal and bumped into a few and had a nice chat and stuff like that, but I had a decision to make and I chose City.”
He was then asked if he was close to being persuaded to make the move to Old Trafford, and simply answered: “No.”
United moved on; Anderson focuses on City
United have since moved on to other targets, with Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans moving to the club for a combined £85 million fee.
For Anderson, concentration is on impressing with City. The big price tag brings big expectations on the 23-year-old as City look to reclaim the Premier League title in their first season under the guidance of Enzo Maresca. “I’m feeling comfortable,” he said. “I want to show everyone what I can do and try not to focus on it too much. But I’m sure over the season I can show people what I do best.”
Anderson on playing alongside Rodri
As it stands, he will be lining up alongside World Cup winner Rodri in the Man City squad, although the Spaniard has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona. It’s something that Anderson is looking forward to, with him keen not to get involved in transfer speculation. “He’s one of the best midfielders in the world so I think anyone would love to play alongside Rodri,” he said. “I’m not too sure what’s happening and I’m not getting involved in that, but it would be nice, yes.”
After an extended break due to his involvement in the World Cup, Anderson has returned to Man City training. The club are building up to the Community Shield clash with Arsenal at the weekend.
