Ryan Giggs tried to persuade England World Cup star Elliot Anderson to join Manchester United before his £116m move to Manchester City, according to former United defender Phil Bardsley.
Bardsley reveals Giggs' pitch
Bardsley, who played for United under Sir Alex Ferguson, said he and Giggs bumped into Anderson on a golf course in Portugal earlier in the summer and had a chat to try to convince him to move to Old Trafford.
“I was in Portugal earlier in the summer playing golf with Ryan Giggs and we saw Anderson on the golf course and had a chat with him to try and persuade him to join United,” Bardsley told Casinolyze.
United's decision to pull out
Manchester United were interested in beating their local rivals to a deal but pulled out once Nottingham Forest’s demands exceeded £100m. Bardsley explained that he felt uncomfortable going to that price for a defensive midfielder.
“I knew it was getting to a stage with Elliot Anderson where he’d be £100m plus and I just didn’t feel comfortable about going to that sort of price for him as a player,” he said. “Listen, he’s outstanding. I really like him.”
Anderson's move to City
Anderson signed a five-year deal at the Etihad Stadium last month, briefly becoming the most expensive British player in history. The 23-year-old was an integral member of Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad, featuring in all of England’s games as they reached the semi-finals before a heartbreaking defeat to Argentina.
Anderson said after his move: “As soon as I knew [City] wanted me, I was absolutely determined to make this move happen. You want to test yourself at the highest level. Being at City means I have that opportunity.”
United's alternative signings
After pulling out of the race, Michael Carrick welcomed two new midfielders to Manchester – Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa. Bardsley praised the Tielemans deal as a “steal” compared to the Anderson fee.
“Signing Youri Tielemans for £35m is a great bit of business,” he said. “He’s a proven Premier League player, he’s captain of Belgium, he can deliver and he’s won trophies. He won the Europa League with Aston Villa last season.”
