Report: Man United sources confident they can deal huge transfer blow to Man City | OneFootball

Manchester United reportedly have some confidence that they could land top target Elliot Anderson ahead of rivals Manchester City.

The 23-year-old Nottingham Forest midfielder is likely to be a man in demand this summer, and he’s one of several names Man Utd are looking at in midfield.

The Red Devils also like Adam Wharton and Carlos Baleba, according to ESPN, but Anderson is arguably the stand-out name there.

The report states that although Anderson has also been strongly linked with Man City, there is some belief inside Old Trafford that he could be convinced to join them instead.

How Elliot Anderson become one of the best midfielders in the Premier League

Anderson has done remarkably well to stand out as one of the top midfield players in the Premier League despite playing for a struggling Forest side this season.

See below for a useful graphic that illustrates just how much he deserves to be in the same conversation as the league’s other elite midfielders…

Elliot Anderson stats vs other Premier League midfielders (DataMB)

Anderson is superbly consistent and well-rounded, with his stats showing just how well he does at winning the ball back, and distributing it forward with progressive passes.

He’s also very close to Man City’s Rodri on forward passes, and just doesn’t really look like a player with any significant weaknesses.

Elliot Anderson looks ideal for Manchester United

It makes sense that MUFC are looking at Anderson, who ticks all the boxes to achieve a very high score in our Transfer Fit rating system (read more about how it works here)…

Anderson could be key to rebuilding this United midfield, with Casemiro set to leave at the end of his contract, while ESPN’s report also casts doubt over Manuel Ugarte’s future.

If they could win the race for this quality signing ahead of City it would be some statement of intent as the club looks to get back to being a serious title contender again.