Man Utd got a glimpse of their potentially ideal midfield next season as Elliot Anderson partnered Kobbie Mainoo for England.
England lost the game 1-0 to Japan to give Thomas Tuchel’s side a reality check, but Elliot Anderson’s performance was the least of their worries.
The Nottingham Forest midfielder showed again why he’s so highly coveted across England and Europe, with Man Utd getting to see exactly what they need.
It did, however, come with a catch, which United will have to tackle if he signs at Old Trafford next season.
Is Elliot Anderson the standout midfield option for Manchester United?
How much would you want United to spend on him this summer…
Elliot Anderson is a complete midfielder on and off the ball
A key reason why so many clubs are after Anderson is that his profile is as complete as a modern midfielder can be.
He is progressive on the ball and combative off it, with an engine to keep that up for the whole game.
Against Japan, his team lost 1-0, but he was absolutely everywhere, trying to take advantage of the space and time Japan afforded to him with their low block.
He had a remarkable 136 touches of the ball, completing a ridiculous 111/117 passes in a game where England had plenty of possession but not much penetration.
That lack of penetration wasn’t due to Anderson, though, as he played 26 of his passes into the final third.
All this was in addition to his usual defensive duties off the ball as he restricted Japan to seven total shots, compared to 19 for England. [Courtesy Fotmob]
However, only four of those were on target, and therein lies the one concern about Anderson’s ability.
Anderson needs to improve off the dribble
Anderson excels in passing the ball forward, but when the opposition provides time and space in front of them, he can look too safe in possession.
IF Elliot Anderson signs for Man City, who would be your TOP PRIORITY midfield alternative?
He lacks the ability to beat his man off the dribble, and that lack of 1v1 ability comes to the fore against low blocks, as it did against Japan.
Circulating possession in front of the defending possession counts for nothing if you can’t scramble their defensive shape, which can only happen by beating your man off the dribble.
Both Mainoo and Anderson looked reluctant to do that, because you have to almost invite the press by holding onto the ball, then evade it swiftly.
Otherwise, it puts undue pressure on the attackers to create something out of nothing.
United’s attackers have the talent to do so, but in his current form, Anderson lacks the ability to knit the midfield and the attack together.
He excels at knitting the defence with the midfield. Now comes the next part of his evolution.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
