Harry Maguire has seen enough of Elliot Anderson in England training to draw a pretty high comparison. The Nottingham Forest midfielder, who has been linked with Manchester United and Manchester City all summer, got a strong endorsement from the former United captain on a Netflix podcast this week.
Speaking on The Rest of Football, Maguire said Anderson reminds him of Declan Rice. That’s not a casual compliment from a guy who played alongside Rice for years with England.
“He’s got absolutely everything,” Maguire said. “He reminds me of Declan Rice in some aspects in terms of his profile. He’s good on the ball. He can drive with the ball. He’s got an eye for goal as well, to say he’s playing number six at the minute. But he’s one of those — I think he could play 10, 8, 6. He’s that good.”
Anderson had a breakout season for Forest despite the club spending most of the year fighting relegation. That caught the attention of the big spenders. Manchester City have already had two bids rejected. The second one was reportedly worth £106 million up front with add-ons that could push it past £120 million. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is holding out for a British record fee, meaning the guaranteed money has to exceed the £125 million Liverpool paid for Alexander Isak last summer.
United’s Interest Has Cooled
Manchester United were in the mix early. But sources indicate the club has backed off. Anderson reportedly prefers a move to City, and the numbers involved have gotten steep enough that United shifted focus to other targets, including West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes. City now have a clear runway at the midfielder, at least as far as the Premier League is concerned.
Maguire noted there are clubs abroad circling too.
“I’ve heard there are many clubs abroad after him as well,” he said on the podcast.
Maguire’s Perspective Has Changed
The former United captain has a different vantage point now. After Thomas Tuchel left him out of the England squad, Maguire wasn’t around the national team setup for 12 months. When he came back in March, he said the group had turned over noticeably.
“There were 10, 15 new players who I hadn’t played with,” Maguire said. “And I knew he was a good player, and in training, he impressed me even more than I knew.”
Anderson started England’s World Cup opener against Croatia earlier this week and is expected to keep his spot for Tuesday’s match against Ghana. At 24, he’s playing the best football of his career and looks like he’s just getting started.
The question now is whether City will meet Marinakis’s asking price or if Anderson ends up somewhere else. Either way, Maguire’s comparison to Rice will only raise the temperature on what’s already the biggest transfer saga of the summer.
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