Danny Mills believes that Manchester United and Arsenal transfer target Elliot Anderson is ‘way off’ the level required to be considered one of England’s best current midfielders.
Anderson has seen his stock rise immensely over the past couple of seasons with his super consistency in the heart of Nottingham Forest’s midfield.
The 23-year-old has also excelled on the international stage, forming a rock-solid partnership with Declan Rice after being handed his debut by Thomas Tuchel last year.
And those performances have already caught the eye of several top Premier League clubs, with a potential bidding war set to ensue for the combative midfilder.
Reports suggest that Manchester City are currently leading the race to sign Anderson, but both Unitd and Arsenal are also said to be interested in pursuing a deal after the World Cup.
Forest are said to be holding out for a fee of around £100million for their prize asset, but former England defender Mills questioned whether Anderson has reached that level yet.
Discussing Anderson’s role in the England squad, Mills told talkSPORT: ‘Is he really good enough at international level to win a World Cup?
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‘Do I look at Anderson and go: ‘He is the best player in the position in the country’. He’s way off it.
‘What about Adam Wharton? For the last two years, it’s all been ‘Adam Wharton’s going to be the next best thing’.’
Not everyone is in agreement with Mills, however, as Rio Ferdinand urged his former club to make Anderson a top priority for the summer to partner Kobbie Mainoo next season.
‘Beginning of the season everyone was talking about [Carlos] Baleba, he seems to have gone off the boil a little bit form wise,’ Ferdinand said last week.
‘Elliot Anderson, he seems to have jumped to the front of the queue. I think he’s a wonderful player.
‘I think Elliot Anderson is the right type not only of player but character, I thin he’d be a good addition to the squad.
‘Tonali is a big talent that everyone is talking about, Guimaraes is another big talent that everyone is talking about.
‘But I just think the type of midfielder United need is somebody who is a bit more all-action, who can cover ground, who is dynamic, who is robust, strong, who can drive a team.
‘Right now Anderson seems to be ticking those boxes.’
Asked about speculation over his future at Forest while away with England, Anderson said his full focus was on ensuring his current side remain in the league going into next season.
‘Obviously we’ve got the World Cup this summer so all my eyes are on that,’ he said. ‘Playing for England, I’ve got the badge on now so that’s all I’m thinking about at the moment.
‘I want it that way [to be guaranteed a start]. But I’ve got a season left with Forest.
‘I’ve got plenty of games and there’s plenty of time until then. I’ve got to keep my standards high and make sure that happens.’
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