Manchester United are now ready to push harder and complete the signing of Nottingham Forest and England midfielder Elliot Anderson.
The Red Devils drew 2-2 away to Forest in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, with Ruben Amorim assessing a solid day at the office, if not a perfect one.
“We lost control of the game for five minutes and we paid the price. I felt that the level of energy was not the same compared to the last game. Sometimes, when you play away, you can feel that. [My players] gave everything, and you could see it in the game but, in the small details, the energy was not the same.
“We have to work on that. Like I was saying, we were in control of the game. In the Premier League, if you disconnect for five minutes, you can change the result.
“Comparing [to] the recent past we had, some games [in] these big bad moments we struggle so much more than today, we managed to control the emotions, to put the ball on the ground and try to push the opponent to the final third. We managed to score, we had a big opportunity in the end. But we lost two points and that is the feeling, but we have the next week to work and to try and get these points in another stadium.”
United didn’t always look wholly convincing as a unit against Forest, and with Casemiro out of contract next summer, the need for a new signing in the middle of the park will be great.
Man Utd ready to push ahead with "perfect" Elliot Anderson pursuit
According to a new update from Caught Offside‘s Mark Brus, Manchester United could now “accelerate their efforts” to sign Anderson from Forest in the January transfer window, with Amorim a fan and Old Trafford chiefs seeing him as “perfect”.
“United see Anderson as a perfect option and a long-term investment, though they could also accelerate their efforts for him this January. There is a unanimous feeling among the directors, Ruben Amorim, and his coaching staff that Anderson would be a great addition in that position.”
Anderson’s rise has been meteoric of late, going from a relative unknown to a key starter for England over the past 12 months, playing a big role in Forest getting into Europe last season.
Still only 22, he has so much time ahead of him to improve and Amorim spoke glowingly about him before Saturday’s game, which may only increase the speculation.
“They have Hudson-Odoi, they have Anderson, a very, very good player. So they have solutions. They have top players, they have a very good coach, we need to play a different game but we will be prepared.”
Anderson ticks so many boxes for United, from quality on the ball to being a homegrown player, and while his rumoured £70m price tag is huge, he has the potential to make it worth their while.
Casemiro isn't the only Man Utd star who has saved his career under Amorim
