Man Utd already sold their own Anderson for £850k

The plan for Manchester United this summer is a clear one; they need to recruit well in the middle of the pitch.

Casemiro is definitely off, set to pen terms with MLS side Inter Miami, while there could also be a departure for Manuel Ugarte.

Even before then, midfielders were required and United knew that, their shortlist of targets is actually rather lengthy.

It includes names such as West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes and they are also keen on Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali. Other options include Lille wonderkid Ayyoub Bouaddi and Bournemouth’s Alex Scott.

However, the number one target without doubt is Elliot Anderson.

The latest on Manchester United’s pursuit of Anderson

If Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Jason Wilcox could cherry pick any player to bring to Old Trafford it would surely be Anderson.

The midfielder enjoyed a real breakthrough campaign at the City Ground last season and was only recently crowned as “one of the best midfielders in the Premier League” by England boss Thomas Tuchel.

For Tuchel, he is set to play an important part and has already started their opening World Cup clash with Croatia.

If the Three Lions star goes onto have a strong tournament then it will only elevate a price tag that’s looking as high as £120m.

The trouble with that asking price is that even the mighty Man United won’t be able to get near Anderson. It explains why the oil-rich Manchester City are in pole position to sign him.

Why is there such strong interest in the 23-year-old? Well, he can seemingly do it all. In 2025/26, ironically only Manuel Ugarte registered more defensive contributions per 90 minutes than the Forest star.

Furthermore, no midfielder in the entire division ran more km during across the whole campaign. A hard working industrious midfielder, he’s probably the closest thing to a prime Roy Keane – just without the no nonsense attitude – that you are going to get.

Yet, with City closing in, United look set to miss out and have had to turn their attentions elsewhere.

A deal for Atalanta star Ederson has reportedly been agreed and not confirmed yet, while talks are ongoing for Fernandes at West Ham. But, what if the Red Devils have already sold their own version of Mr Anderson?

Academy gem is starring at the World Cup after leaving Man Utd

It’s safe to say that Anderson’s introduction to international tournament football was not the easiest.

England were not terrible, in fact they were quite the opposite against Croatia but Anderson and his midfield colleague Declan Rice, struggled a bit to keep things tidy in the middle of the park and break things up.

One game against Croatia will not define Anderson’s World Cup but one player who is really making his mark is Zidane Iqbal.

The Iraq international only came off the bench during their first World Cup clash with Norway but started from the off against France during their second match in the USA.

How did Iqbal play? Well, he was mightily impressive up against the likes of Manu Kone and Adrian Rabiot in central areas.

As BBC Sport writer Umir Irfan said during Iraq’s 3-0 loss in the early hours of Tuesday night, it really is a mystery “how Zidane Iqbal isn’t playing at a higher level domestically.”

Once on the books at Carrington, the 23-year-old left England behind three years ago to sign for FC Utrecht in the Netherlands in a deal worth just £850k.

Since moving to Dutch shores, Iqbal has not exactly showcased why United should have kept him. He has only played 47 times for Utrecht after arriving. In fact, his spell has been so underwhelming of late that he ended up playing for Utrecht’s reserve side in the final months of 2025/26.

Despite that, as he showcased against the last World Cup finalists, there is a real player in there, someone who shares similar traits with the aforementioned Anderson.

During that game, the Iraqi was brilliant from his midfield role. Like Anderson, he kept things ticking over in central areas with a 93% pass success rate.

Similar to Anderson, he performed his defensive work well, making five defensive contributions and winning five duels. Furthermore, he lost possession just seven times and had 85 touches, the second most on the team. That was also even more than Rabiot and the same number as Kone.

While Anderson is obviously far and away the better footballer, perhaps Man United should have given Iqbal more of a chance.

Before leaving England, he played just once for the senior team at Old Trafford. At one stage, he was even ahead of Kobbie Mainoo in the academy pecking order, with former Sky Sports journalist Melissa stating that he had “heaps of technical quality, skill and intelligence“.

Even likened to Frenkie de Jong by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the future looked bright before he headed to the Netherlands. Now, however, he would appear to have got his mojo back playing for his country in North America this summer.

A confident duel winner like Anderson, a player who can be progressive and get forward, as well as shuttle in front of the backline, there might well be a hint of regret about the way in which United let him go.