Elliot Anderson is being cast as England’s new No 6. That is a disservice. A six, by convention, sits. Anderson does not sit. He stands up and he is counted. He runs, passes, tackles and shoots.
His heat map from Tuesday’s 5-0 win over Serbia show him impacting far higher up the pitch – he is a No 8 by output and, on the back of this international break, he should be Thomas Tuchel’s No 1 pick.
To borrow from the lineage of his home city, the Geordie is the England midfielder Michael Carrick should have been but with the urgency and adventure of Paul Gascoigne. Is that giddy praise on the back of two performances? I do not think so. Anderson, at 22, will be the best English midfielder of his generation.
For Nottingham Forest and England fans, there is a glorious prophecy about the words of super scout Graham Carr three years ago after he watched Anderson on loan at Bristol Rovers in League Two and felt moved to give me a call.
For Newcastle fans, there is a brutal irony. They sold him to Forest last summer for, in effect, just £15million to avoid breaching Profit and Sustainability rules. Points saved, but a precious talent lost.
‘Newcastle will spend millions on new players and a lot of academy lads will get lost in the system now – but not this boy,’ said Carr in 2022. ‘You can sign as many young players as you want, you will be doing well to get any better than Elliot Anderson.
England new-boy Elliot Anderson has been hugely impressive in his first two international appearances
Thomas Tuchel should be looking to build his team around the Geordie in midfield
Anderson’s midfield partner Declan Rice could be deployed as a No 8 to allow him to flourish further forward
‘He is classy. He receives the ball like Peter Beardsley. He kills it and moves it all in one motion. That’s a gift. He’s the best young player I’ve seen in a long time. Newcastle haven’t produced anyone like him, in terms of his technical gifts, probably all the way back to Gazza.
‘He plays with a swagger. Every time he got the ball you knew something was going to happen. He always wants to dribble and moves off quickly. He knows he’s good, but there’s no harm in that.’
Carr was not describing a No 6. And if England want midfielders who play to protect and preserve, they can use Conor Gallagher or Jordan Henderson. Declan Rice, even.
Anderson plays with more ambition and aggression than a water-carrier. He will do the heavy lifting, but with the light touch of one who can still turn his load into wine. His Newcastle team-mates knew as much.
Anthony Gordon was alongside him in Belgrade and, on another night, he, Noni Madueke or Morgan Rogers may have emerged as the official man of the match. But that was Anderson, again.
Gordon knows of his friend’s innate skill from the hours spent playing snooker together at Whitley Lodge in North Tyneside – Anderson would always win.
He is a technician, no matter the discipline. Kieran Trippier used to say that it was ‘crazy’ how good he was. What happens next with Anderson at club level will be interesting. There is no buy-back clause for Newcastle and, while he remains a supporter and was in the crowd when they won the Carabao Cup last season, there is a feeling his career is headed in a different direction than a return to his roots. Those at the top of the tree will be looking at him now.
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis will not be bullied into selling – see Morgan Gibbs-White – and if a new contract is forthcoming, as well as the addition of more young players of similar promise, it could be that the City Ground is the best place for his development. That setting has done him no harm in the past 14 months.
The 22-year-old left Tyneside 14 months ago after learning his trade in the Magpies’ academy
His successes at the City Ground have left those back in Newcastle with regrets over his sale
But that assumes he stays free of injury. Last season was his first without interruption. His fitness issues – including a hip problem that saw specialists disagree over treatment – were part of the reason Newcastle reluctantly let him go. Not because they doubted his ability to stay fit, but as much because they had not seen the best of him to the point of him being indispensable.
There was deep regret by his sale, but not outrage. Now, after his England breakthrough, there is little more angst on Tyneside. While his displays have been a joy for the majority, they were a painful watch for those of a black-and-white persuasion.
That is not of Tuchel’s concern, of course. He was brave enough to pitch his uncapped rookie into the heart of his team and, 180 minutes later, he is England’s new heartbeat.
