Anderson's journey to England star and potential British record

Anderson's journey to England star and potential British recordImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Elliot Anderson has become an integral figure in England head coach Thomas Tuchel's World Cup plans.ByPhil McNultyChief football writer in BostonPublished2 minutes agoElliot Anderson was the schoolboy footballer so good his teachers discussed placing a bet on him playing for England. The bet was never made - but Thomas Tuchel is backing him to be a winner at the World Cup.Anderson's journey from the playing fields of Tyneside to the World Cup stage, and to potentially becoming the most expensive player in British football history, continues when England play Ghana in Boston on Tuesday.The midfielder is the one that painfully got away from Newcastle United but is still revered and respected in his home city as the "quiet and self-effacing" local boy made good.Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe called Anderson's £30m sale to Nottingham Forest in July 2024 "the most reluctant in my career", a deal effectively forced on the Magpies because they feared they were going to break profit and sustainability rules (PSR) and incur a points deduction following years of imbalanced trading The sense of loss has become more acute as the 23-year-old emerged as a central component in England's World Cup plans - head coach Tuchel calls him "the full package" - with a move to Manchester City in the offing, talks ongoing after a deal worth around £120m was rejected by Forest.It is also felt by Scotland, who hoped to Anderson would play for the country as he has a Scottish grandmother. He was called up for the Euro 2024 qualifier in Cyprus and a friendly with England in September 2023 having represented the Scots at under-21 and junior level, only to pull out through injury before pledging allegiance to England.It is all a far cry from the young Geordie who used to kick a ball around with his elder brothers before emerging as an o...