Man Utd warned off 'foolhardy' £100m transfer for Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson as ex-defender demands 'major rebuild'

Anderson has been generating plenty of hype since bursting onto the Three Lions scene under Thomas Tuchel. He helped England to secure faultless qualification for the 2026 World Cup and is expected to figure prominently at that tournament.

Said event will provide the classy 23-year-old with a global window in which to showcase his talent. The expectation is that more names will be added to what is an ever-growing list of suitors - with United reportedly forming part of that pack.

The Red Devils are mulling over additions to their engine room as questions continue to be asked of how long Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro will remain at Old Trafford. The former is being linked with teams across Europe and the Saudi Pro League, while the latter is seeing his contract run down towards free agency.

Anderson would be a different kind of ‘No.6’ to Casemiro, with his game more about retaining the ball than winning it back, but would he be a good fit at Old Trafford at the price being mooted?

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When that question was put to Parker, the former United full-back - speaking in association with gambling portal British Gambler - told GOAL: “I keep seeing his name bandied about. When it’s Manchester United, everybody wants to throw out someone all the time. Everyone goes with it.

“I’m not used to labelling players with numbers. You just want a midfield player who has got the capability to go up and down, wants to go up and down, and he definitely has that. I’m quite sure a lot of these young players don’t want to be labelled anymore. They did all that when they were kids playing FIFA. When it gets to the real world, you see that they want to get about. In my opinion you want midfield players like a Roy Keane, a Paul Ince, a Bryan Robson - players who can and want to do everything.

“I see where he is [Anderson] and I quite like him. The moment you mention it with Manchester United it’s £100m. That seems to be the going rate. Are United going to go and spend that kind of money on one player? I think it would be foolhardy if they go and do that.

“When you look at Anderson, he is a high-energy player but there are a lot of high-energy players out there. To be in the Premier League now, it is about how athletic your team is. There is a lot better chance of getting results at weekends, gives you an advantage and opportunity, when you have got athletic players. Sunderland are proving that at the moment. One player for me in midfield is not enough. They need a major rebuild.”

It remains to be seen whether United formalise their supposed interest in Anderson. Ruben Amorim also needs to determine how he is going to split any transfer funds that are made available to him. As alluded to by Parker, it is unlikely that all of his recruitment eggs will be lumped into one basket.

Forest will not be dropping their demands, though, so anybody wanting to lure Newcastle academy graduate Anderson away from the City Ground will need to dig deep. He is tied to a contract on Trentside that is due to run until the summer of 2029.

The Reds are under no pressure to sell and that may force the likes of United to use next summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico as an opportunity to assess alternative options that come with a slightly more budget-friendly price tag.