Elliot Anderson offered Manchester City fans a look into the future as his tenacity on his first start since leaving Nottingham Forest saw England – and Jude Bellingham – rewarded with a goal.
Anderson’s move to the Etihad Stadium was officially rubber-stamped on Thursday, which meant he lined up in the Azteca as a Manchester City midfielder.
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Much has been made of Anderson’s £116 million move to the former Premier League champions, with plenty critical of the fact that he cost £116 million.
With that in mind, his first performance for England as a City player was always going to be an intriguing one, but as ever, Anderson didn’t look fazed.
How Elliot Anderson performed for England vs Mexico
Anderson typically went about his business superbly well, and for a young player, he continues to show unbelievable maturity in his performance.
After Bellingham had put England 1-0 up following good work from Declan Rice, Anderson decided to get in on the act and show his creative spark just moments later.
As Mexico dallied, Anderson harried, and his brilliance to show high energy and determination to win the ball back saw him feed Harry Kane, who cut the ball back and gifted Bellingham another goal.
It’s been a whirlwind summer for Anderson so far, with the midfielder starting every game in the World Cup and then completing the formalities of his move to Manchester City during the tournament.
Forest fans are under no illusions as to how he can perform at his very best, and on this showing, some of the criticism from City fans over the £116 million fee might cease.
Anderson was given a 7.4 rating by FotMob, which made him one of England’s better performers in their eyes, and he took to this game as though it was nothing, keeping things simple and sticking to what he knows he’s good at.
Anderson was substituted after 75 minutes as England looked to tighten things up, with Jarrell Quansah’s red card leaving the Three Lions up against it in the final exchanges.
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The midfielder is set for a £116m move to Manchester City
However, this performance will undoubtedly make the Man City supporters who have been critical of the price tag stand up and take notice.
Elliot Anderson in numbers vs Mexico
Anderson’s numbers usually look pretty impressive on the club stage, but now he’s showcasing what he’s capable of on the grandest stage at the World Cup.
- Minutes: 75
- Aerials Won: 2
- Touches: 39
- Tackles: 5
- Clearances: 3
- Passes Completed: 84%
- Ground Duels Won: 5/6
- Recoveries: 4
- Dribbled Past: 0
Forest will look forward to the Oliver Glasner era beginning this week and on this performance, it highlights just how tough the job of replacing Anderson will prove.
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