Elliot Anderson’s £116million price-tag may seem excessive, but look closely and you’ll see exactly why Manchester City view him as the future of their midfield.
At this World Cup, he already looks a focal part of England’s and his fingerprints were all over this cagey yet crucial Jude Bellingham-inspired victory over Panama.
There’s a certain school of thinking that players of such enormous economic value should guarantee you 20 goals and 15 assists per season.
However, orchestrators and conductors like Anderson should not solely be judged on data and metrics, though come full-time, it was very telling that he’d had more touches than any player on the pitch (92).
The 23-year-old’s simplicity and comfort holding down the centre of the pitch frees up England’s forward players and provided man of the match Bellingham with a licence to roam from a deeper role.
The Three Lions’ worrying struggles breaking down both Ghana and Panama should not be used as a stick to beat Anderson with, however.
It’s not really his job to pick locks and create but he is still capable of providing a killer pass – just like he did for Bellingham in Dallas. His first-half back-post cross for Marcus Rashford wasn’t bad, either.
One of several key issues Thomas Tuchel is facing – right now there are obviously more pressing concerns regarding fluidity, particularly in the final third – is the balance of his midfield.
Morgan Rogers can be a spark but including him as the No.10 requires Tuchel to drop one of Anderson, Bellingham or Rice, which feels far-fetched.
Furthermore, Anderson and Rice are very similar players – outstanding ones, too – and there’s an argument that while they can excel together, the pairing lacks variety.
View 2 ImagesAnderson takes on the Panama defence
Rice, who took a blow to his calf in Boston and had a yellow card, was rightfully rested here and it speaks volumes that even with muscle tightness, Tuchel still selected Anderson ahead of Kobbie Mainoo.
Quite simply, it’s because he considers him to be the heartbeat of his team and his handful of recoveries to extinguish threatening Panama breaks was further evidence of that.
While it was an unsightly team display that will not live long in the memory outside of those five explosive second-half minutes, Anderson was one of very few positives and the pressure of his impending big-money transfer to City does not appear to be weighing heavily upon his shoulders.
Toughest tests lie ahead but whatever happens, two years after being offered to Wolves by Newcastle in a player-plus-cash deal for Max Kilman, he is indispensable for his country on the biggest stage of all.
Per sources close to the England camp, his City medical could finally take place in the coming days.
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