One of England U21s standout performers during their European Championship victory showed that he fits Ruben Amorim’s demands for one Manchester United position perfectly.
Following a disappointing campaign, Manchester United have turned their attention to strengthening their attacking options early in the summer transfer window.
Matheus Cunha has already completed his move, and Bryan Mbeumo is expected to follow shortly as United remain in negotiations with Brentford.
After bolstering the frontline for Ruben Amorim, the Reds will shift their focus to other key areas in need of reinforcement—particularly central midfield.
There are several reported targets for this role, with one of the main demands in the position being the athleticism that players like Casemiro lack.
Unreal England U21s star fits Amorim’s demands
England’s Under-21s side managed to win the U21 European Championships final on Saturday evening against Germany to defend the trophy after initially winning it two years ago.
There were some standout performances for Lee Carsley’s side across the tournament and in the final against Germany, with Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson standing out in the midfield.
Against the Germans, Anderson played 99 minutes and completed 72 of his attempted 79 passes, while also completing four long passes.
With 101 touches, he was the most involved England player on the night and also did a good job out of possession, with nine recoveries and six duels won.
His display was an all-action one, described as “unreal”, much like many of his performances for Forest, and it seems to be exactly what United need in the engine room.
Should United test waters for Anderson deal?
There have been murmurs within the media that Forest might need to sell players in order to be safe in terms of PSR this summer, and United could try and test the waters for someone like Anderson.
A deal would still not be easy as they paid £35 million to sign him from Newcastle last summer and would likely want a fee over £50 million to sell him.
Many supporters like the idea of bringing Anderson to the club, rather than settling for another midfield signing who would probably only be able to be a squad player.
The good thing about the 22-year-old is that he’s able to operate in different spaces and roles within the midfield, rather than being a specialist.
Whether an exit from the City Ground is actually on the cards remains to be seen, but it is the kind of situation that United should be keeping their eye on.
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