£80m midfielder now wants to sign for Man Utd

It is the older heads who have largely led the way at Manchester United this season, be it Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Casemiro, most of whom have creditably battled back from the brink at Old Trafford.

It was only three years ago that Maguire’s United career looked dead and buried after being stripped of the captaincy, yet a new contract this season has been richly deserved.

As for Shaw, there’s been a litany of injury issues over the last 12 years, stemming from his double leg break in 2015, yet the 30-year-old remains the only player in the squad to have started all 36 Premier League games in 2025/26.

Then there’s Casemiro, infamously told the football had left him back in May 2024, yet now is front and centre again under Michael Carrick, set to leave a sizeable void to be filled this summer.

As for Fernandes, well, his talismanic form has been no real surprise, with the 31-year-old still the benchmark when it comes to midfield signings or signings in general in Manchester.

Man Utd handed significant boost in race to sign £80m midfielder

There will not be ‘one more year’ for Casemiro, with the ageing Brazilian, perhaps wisely, opting to disembark on a high, in turn freeing up significant room on the wage bill considering his status as the current highest earner.

With his exit having been confirmed for a fair while now, INEOS have seemingly been compiling a list of potential replacements, with a plethora of targets having been mentioned, both within the Premier League and abroad.

Work appears to be underway regarding the capture of Atalanta’s Ederson, yet the player the club truly want, the leading target, is undoubtedly Elliot Anderson.

Well, while the Englishman previously looked Etihad-bound, SportsBoom have provided a fresh twist on his future, reporting that Anderson would actually favour a move to Old Trafford.

Manchester City were said to be ‘confident’ of striking a deal, although things are now ‘shifting’, with it United who are believed to be ‘leading the hunt’.

The report even suggests that, despite talk of a £100m plus price tag, INEOS are ready to lodge a bid of closer to £80m in order to test Nottingham Forest’s resolve.

Why Anderson could be another Fernandes in the making at Man Utd

There’s not been many who have hit the ground running quite as successfully as Fernandes in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, with the ex-Sporting CP playmaker never looking back following his Man of the Match display on debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Even the great Casemiro had to wait until October 2022 to make his first Premier League start, gradually eased in by Erik ten Hag following his £70m switch from Real Madrid.

There should be no such adaptation needed for Anderson, however, with this potentially another game-changing midfield signing in the mould of Fernandes.

While Forest teammate Morgan Gibbs-White might be closer to Fernandes in terms of his playing style, Anderson is something of a talisman in his own right, having been a pillar of consistency at the City Ground again this season.

At the weekend, for instance, it was the Geordie’s goal that claimed a point against his former club Newcastle United, a fitting moment considering the 23-year-old’s mum, Helen, had sadly passed away just last month.

Like Fernandes, he can be deployed all across the midfield and suffers no drop in level or impact, having even operated as a winger on occasion during his fruitful loan spell at Bristol Rovers in the past, scoring seven goals and registering six assists in just 21 games for the club.

Be it as a number eight, a number six or even a number ten at Forest, the Three Lions star is such a joy to watch, mirroring Fernandes as the type of player who can take a game by the scruff of the neck.

Indeed, while not quite the creative or goalscoring force that Fernandes is, Anderson is also such a progressive, forward-thinking midfielder, so often looking for that incisive forward pass.

That can be seen in his average of 1.4 key passes per game in the Premier League this season, while he’s lost the ball 17.6 times per game, unafraid to take a risk with a probing, progressive pass.

That is certainly a hallmark of Fernandes’ game, with the United skipper losing the ball 16.9 times per game, albeit while boasting a far superior 3.8 key passes on average.

Like Fernandes too, there’s an edge to his game, having notably been sent off against Fenerbahce in the Europa League this season for dissent.

That’s not something to be rewarded for, but it does show that almost street footballer vibe that Anderson possesses, with all the brilliance on the ball matched by his workmanlike quality out of possession, having averaged 3.7 tackles and interceptions, alongside 8.1 ball recoveries.

His reliability and availability, like Fernandes, is also not to be overlooked, having made 37 league appearances last season, 33 of which came from the start, while having made 48 appearances in all competitions this time around, only five of which have come as a substitute.

When others have faltered in a difficult campaign in Nottingham, Anderson has been the player to look to, a real shining light alongside the aforementioned Gibbs-White.

Hopefully he can repeat such heroics as Fernandes’ heir apparent next season.