Elliot Anderson has made his England role clear, and he has made his standard just as clear. The England midfielder says his job is to get on the ball, give the team control and move it forward to the attackers. He also names Declan Rice as the player he studies most closely, while England prepare to face Ghana on Tuesday, when Anderson is expected to win his 11th cap.
Rice as the reference point
“I’m going to say Dec,” Anderson said. “I think just watching Dec all season, playing in an England shirt. Although I’m playing alongside him, and we’ve got slightly different roles, I just think I love him as a player and I like to watch him and take things from his game. He’s been unbelievable this season for Arsenal. He’s someone I look up to.”
That is the clearest window into how he sees his own development. Anderson is not talking about flash or licence to roam, he is talking about control, tidiness and getting the ball to the forwards. He added: “We want to play exciting football, we want the fans to watch and be on the edge of their seat and my job is to get the ball to the attackers and let them do their stuff.”
The early evidence says England have already trusted him with that task. Anderson made his World Cup debut in England’s 4-2 win against Croatia last week, played 94 minutes and was given a 7.2 rating. In the same game, Rice played 72 minutes and was rated 6.9, a reminder that Anderson is now operating in a midfield built around control rather than simply energy.
The rise around him
The wider story is how quickly Anderson’s profile has climbed. Eddie Howe described his £30m sale to Nottingham Forest in July 2024 as “the most reluctant in my career”, and one report says Manchester City had a reported £120m bid rejected by Forest. Another source puts that interest at around £120m. The exact wording differs, but both point to the same thing: Anderson has moved into the top bracket of English midfield valuations.
That climb has not come from nowhere. Jonathan Roys, a teacher at Valley Gardens Middle School, said they were so impressed with Anderson as a schoolboy that they joked about betting on him to play for England. He was captain and scored a hat-trick in Valley Gardens’ 3-0 win in the English leg of the Danone Nations Cup in 2014.
Thomas Tuchel’s view sits neatly alongside that rise. The England head coach has described Anderson as “the full package”, and the usage against Croatia backs that up. A player who can play 94 minutes on debut, keep the ball moving and already lean on Rice as a model is not being eased in as an afterthought. He is being asked to shape what England do in midfield, and Tuesday’s game against Ghana should give the next clue about how far that trust now goes.
FAQ
Why does Elliot Anderson see Declan Rice as the model for his England role?
Anderson says he studies Rice closely and looks up to him, even while playing a slightly different role. He describes his own job as getting on the ball, giving England control and moving it forward to the attackers. That fits the control-first midfield idea England are working with, and Anderson has already started to look comfortable in it.
How much has Elliot Anderson played for England at the World Cup so far?
He made his World Cup debut in England’s win against Croatia and played 94 minutes in that match. He is expected to earn his 11th England cap against Ghana on Tuesday. That gives him a strong platform already, with Thomas Tuchel describing him as “the full package” and central to England’s World Cup plans.
What is the latest on the Manchester City interest in Elliot Anderson?
The reporting says Manchester City had a reported £120m bid rejected by Nottingham Forest, while another source describes it as around £120m. The fee should be handled carefully, but the point is clear enough: Anderson’s rise has put him into major transfer territory very quickly after his £30m move from Newcastle in July 2024.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →