Maguire's Rave Review: Anderson Reminds Him of Rice as United Walk Away from £130m Deal

Manchester United have pulled the plug on a potential move for Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson, with the club's co-owners at INEOS unwilling to meet the £130m valuation demanded by the East Midlands side. The decision leaves the door open for Manchester City, who remain favourites to land the 23-year-old after already seeing a £121m bid rejected.

Anderson has long featured prominently on United's midfield shopping list as they hunt multiple reinforcements in the centre of the park this summer. With a deal already in place for Atalanta's Ederson Silva, the Red Devils had hoped to add the Forest star to their ranks—but the price tag proved prohibitive. As a result, Mateus Fernandes has now become the club's primary midfield target, purely on financial grounds.

The midfielder's stock continues to rise, however, particularly following England's opening World Cup victory against Croatia this week. Anderson started the match and delivered an impressive display in the 4-2 triumph under Thomas Tuchel's stewardship, catching the eye of both teammates and observers alike.

Harry Maguire, currently working as a pundit for Netflix's The Rest of Football podcast after missing out on World Cup selection, has become one of Anderson's most vocal admirers. The United defender spent time with Anderson during England camp preparations and came away genuinely impressed by what he witnessed on the training ground.

"I was out of the England squad for 12 months, so when I went in March, there were 10, 15 new players I hadn't encountered before," Maguire explained. "I knew he was a good player already, but training with him opened my eyes even further."

The comparison Maguire drew proved particularly telling. "He reminds me of Declan Rice in certain ways," he said of Anderson. "The lad's got everything—he's composed on the ball, he can carry it forward, and he's got an eye for goal despite playing as a number six at the moment. I'd back him to play as a 10, an 8, or a 6. He's got that level of quality."

Anderson's technical ability, combined with his versatility across the midfield, appears to be what sets him apart in Maguire's assessment. Rice, of course, remains a cornerstone of England's midfield setup whenever available, underscoring just how highly the United skipper rates his Forest counterpart.

The praise hasn't stopped with Maguire. Alan Shearer, the former Newcastle striker, took to Instagram to describe Anderson's World Cup debut performance as "outstanding," while Jude Bellingham, his England teammate now at Real Madrid, has also sung his praises. It seems the young midfielder has made quite the impression on those who've seen him up close.

City now appear positioned to capitalise on United's reluctance to splash the cash, leaving Forest to negotiate with the Manchester club over a fee for one of their prized assets.