Neville says there’s one clear ‘exceptional’ Casemiro successor who’s a cut above INEOS’ alternative targets | OneFootball

There’s an acceptance at Manchester United heading into the summer window that their acquisition of Casemiro’s successor needs to be spot on.

If not, they risk botching up one of the most pivotal parts of the squad’s rebuild in recent years.

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United got a closer look at Anderson in action on Sunday

That’s why Gary Neville believes that there is one candidate who’s a cut above the rest in comparison to INEOS’ other targets: Elliot Anderson.

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The Nottingham Forest talisman joins the likes of Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba and Ederson on United’s shortlist, with the club planning to sign at least two midfielders when the transfer period gets underway.

Casemiro bid farewell to the Old Trafford faithful yesterday in his final home appearance, while his ideal replacement, Anderson, was sharing the pitch with him.

Although United sealed a 3-2 win to rubber-stamp their third-placed finish, Anderson was a bright spark throughout the contest.

The 23-year-old recorded two stellar assists for Morato and Morgan Gibbs-White, ensuring he did his bit to try and get a result over the line for the visitors.

In fact, Anderson performed so well that he earned the highest Fotmob rating (nine) of any player across both sides after registering the most touches (110), most defensive contributions (20) and joint-most dribbles (three).

He also made 14 final-third passes, four accurate crosses, four long balls and won nine ground duels.

Given that Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada were all in attendance, it’ll only intensify their desire to add the player to United’s ranks ahead of 2026/2027.

What Neville had to say about ‘exceptional’ Anderson

Neville would certainly back any move made by his former club, as he said of the England international post-match: “What I like about Anderson is the fact that he looks forward and he contributes.

“The two crosses for the goals were exceptional. I see too many crabs playing central midfield. You can’t have too many people who play five-yard passes back and sideways. You need to put players in there who are going to look forward and punch passes through the lines and have their heads up.

“Elliot Anderson can do that. He can take set-pieces. So for me, he would be an outstanding candidate to come here.

“But if you believe what you hear, Manchester City also want him, so if it’s a straight fight between the two Manchester clubs, it’ll be interesting to see who he chooses.”

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