Ryan Giggs tried to lure Elliot Anderson to Man United before £116m Forest exit | OneFootball

Ryan Giggs says he tried to persuade Elliot Anderson to join Manchester United during a chance meeting in Portugal before the midfielder’s move from Nottingham Forest.

“I went to Portugal for a week. That’s where I saw Elliot Anderson.” He was speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.

“It was literally a few days before he went to the World Cup. I peppered him. He didn’t know how to take it at first, and then he relaxed a little bit.”

“For the first four or five holes, we were literally crossing. And at the end of it, he went, ‘Will you just let me, leave me alone. Will you just let me play my golf, please? You’re in trouble!’.”

Rio Ferdinand added: “You’ve got to try all sorts to get these deals over the line. Man United ain’t got the budget to pay for that.”

Anderson was in demand after a superb 2025/26 at the City Ground, and Manchester City won the race for his signature. Forest sold him for a club-record £116m, two years after signing him from Newcastle United for a net £15m.

He became a regular for Forest and England before departing for the Etihad, later posting a farewell message thanking staff, team-mates and supporters while hailing the club’s return to European football after 29 years.

Source: Nottingham Post

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”