Elliot Anderson was in the spotlight for his impact against Manchester United, but his Nottingham Forest teammate might have shown the blueprint for Kobbie Mainoo’s next midfield partner.
Casemiro is set to leave Old Trafford in the summer transfer window and Manchester United are on the hunt for a major midfield signing to replace him.
Kobbie Mainoo has enjoyed a career resurgence while playing alongside Casemiro in the Man Utd midfield pivot under Red Devils interim head coach Michael Carrick.
Elliot Anderson has been a key target for United, but the 23-year-old England international’s performance on Sunday overshadowed another detail from the match.
Kobbie Mainoo LOVES scoring vs Liverpool at the Stretford End – which goal was best, his strike in 2026 or 2024?
Ian Wright and Gary Neville felt that Ibrahim Sangare showed something important for Nottingham Forest against Man Utd
Elliot Anderson picked up two superb assists in Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League clash at Old Trafford at the weekend.
After Man Utd took a controversial 2-1 lead over Forest in the second half, Vitor Pereira later made key changes to try and keep his side in Sunday’s contest.
One of his substitutes in the 69th minute included the arrival of midfielder Ibrahim Sangare, who replaced Nicolas Dominguez in the Man Utd match at Old Trafford.
Ian Wright suggested that United’s transfer priority must include a Carlos Baleba-esque player, only for him to recall what Ibrahim Sangare showed on Sunday.
“Like, they [were] talking about, remember like a Baleba [type player], you know they… You know, I quite liked as well, was that Sangare at Forest?” he said on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast.
Responding to Ian Wright’s Sangare point, Gary Neville replied: “He was all right when he came on.”
Wright then added: “You know, something when I watched, I thought obviously maybe some of the technical [stuff was lacking], but like he’s… [his] physicality, and I thought it was good.
“That’s the kind of player, you know, with United. You could get him in a United with the quality around him. You just do that. Just do that physical stuff.”
Did Elliot Anderson’s performance justify a £115m transfer fee?
What did you make of Elliot Anderson's display vs Man United?
The physicality element for Kobbie Mainoo’s next Man Utd midfield partner is incredibly important
Replacing a resurgent Casemiro will be no easy feat for United, no matter how long has passed since the Brazil midfielder’s prime years at Real Madrid have left him.
Casemiro offered the type of qualities that Ian Wright and Gary Neville admired in Ibrahim Sangare, all the while bringing a whole host of other attributes to the table.
Man Utd have been tipped to bring two midfielders through the doors of Old Trafford in the summer amid their key midfield rebuild ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
One of the two midfield targets must mirror a Sangare-esque player, who can offer a much-needed physicality element to the midfield alongside Kobbie Mainoo.
The other midfielder that United would sign, on the other hand, could provide the dynamic midfield qualities of an experienced player like England international Anderson.
United cannot afford to make two midfield signings without one of the two players having the ability to match Casemiro’s physicality on the pitch for the Red Devils.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
