Man Utd already sold their Anderson for £850k

Manchester United’s plan this summer is clear; they need to recruit well in midfield.

Casemiro is definitely out, he is about to sign terms with the MLS team Inter Miami, and there may be a departure for Manuel Ugarte.

Even before that, midfielders were needed and United knew that, their short list of targets was actually quite long.

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

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

The latest in Manchester United’s pursuit of Anderson

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

The midfielder enjoyed a truly successful campaign at the City Ground last season and was recently awarded “one of the players”. best midfielders in the Premier League” by England coach Thomas Tuchel.

For Tuchel, he will play a key role and has already started their World Cup opener against Croatia.

If the Three Lions star has strong competition it will only increase the price tag which looks as high as £120m.

The problem with that price is that even the mighty Man United won’t be able to come close to Anderson. It explains why oil-rich Manchester City are in a good position to sign him.

Why is there such strong interest in a 23-year-old? Well, he seems to be able to do everything. 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 has run more kilometers during the entire campaign. A dynamic, hard-working midfielder, he’s probably the closest thing to Roy Keane – apart from the no-nonsense attitude – you’re going to get.

However, with City closing in, United look set to miss out and have to turn their attention elsewhere.

A deal for Atalanta star Ederson has reportedly been agreed and is yet to be confirmed, while talks are ongoing for Fernandes at West Ham. However, what if the Red Devils have already sold their own version of Mr Anderson?

The Academy gem is playing in the World Cup after leaving Man Utd

It is true that Anderson’s introduction to world championship football was not easy at all.

England weren’t that bad, in fact they were a stark contrast to Croatia but Anderson and his midfield partner Declan Rice, struggled a bit to keep things tidy in the middle of the park and break things up.

The one match they will play against Croatia will not define Anderson’s World Cup but one player who has made a name for himself is Zidane Iqbal.

The Iraqi player came off the bench when they played against Norway for the first time in the World Cup but started from France against France in their second game in the USA.

How did Iqbal play? However, he was more impressive against Manu Kone and Adrian Rabiot in central positions.

As BBC Sport’s Umir Irfan said during Iraq’s 3-0 defeat early on Tuesday night, it is truly a mystery how “Zidane Iqbal is not playing at his best at home.”

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

Since his move to Dutch shores, Iqbal has never expressed why United should keep him. He only played 47 times for Utrecht after arriving. In fact, his spell has been so difficult recently that he ended up playing for Utrecht’s reserve team in the final months of 2025/26.

Despite that, as he showed against the last World Cup winners, there is a real player there, someone who shares the same characteristics as the aforementioned Anderson.

In that game, the Iraqi was outstanding in his full-back role. Like Anderson, he kept things moving in midfield with a 93% pass rate.

Similar to Anderson, he did his job well defensively, making five defensive contributions and winning five duels. In addition, he lost the ball just seven times and had 85 touchdowns, second most on the team. That was also more than Rabiot and the same number as Kone.

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

Before leaving England, he only played for the senior team once at Old Trafford. At one point, he was ahead of Kobbie Mainoo in the academy, with ex-Sky Sports journalist Melissa saying he had “loads of technical quality, skill and intelligence”.

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

A confident duel winner like Anderson, a player who can develop and go forward, and shoot in front of the backline, there may be little regret for the way United let him go.