How World Cup could help Man United overtake Man City in Elliot Anderson transfer race | OneFootball

Manchester United could reportedly use the 2026 World Cup to their advantage in this summer’s race to sign Nottingham Forest central midfielder Elliot Anderson.

The Red Devils surely won’t find it easy to land Anderson after his world class form in the Premier League this season, but it seems they’re not giving up.

And Man Utd seemingly also feel they have one secret weapon up their sleeves in the form of Harry Maguire, according to the Sun.

Nottingham Forest want bidding war for Elliot Anderson

It’s also in Forest’s interest for this saga to drag on a little bit, as they’ll want big money from Anderson’s sale.

The England international will therefore probably be allowed the time to go to the World Cup and impress, with some strong performances on the biggest stage only likely to add to his market value.

That will then allow United the time to use an experienced figure like Maguire to work his magic on Anderson during their time together with the England squad.

As noted by TEAMtalk, it seems MUFC feel this is a strategy that has worked well for them before, as they signed big-name England stars like Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney after major international tournaments.

Luke Shaw and Kobbie Mainoo are other players United could deploy to try to lure Anderson to the club, but of course City will also surely have some players in Thomas Tuchel’s squad that could influence the player’s decision.

Can Man City stars convince Elliot Anderson?

John Stones and Nico O’Reilly will probably be in the England squad at this summer’s World Cup, so they could also get a word in Anderson’s ear.

Meanwhile, it’s surely also the case that if other clubs like Arsenal and Chelsea want to get involved, they could also use players like Declan Rice and Reece James, respectively, to try to talk Anderson round.

All in all, this saga doesn’t seem like one that’s going to be resolved any time soon, so we can expect more stories like this in the weeks and months ahead as different teams try to edge each other out in the race for this fantastic talent.