Marcus Rashford joins Newcastle and Nottingham Forest stars reacting to Elliot Anderson announcement
Marcus Rashford is among many stars who have responded to a message from Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson after he was lauded following his England debut.
Anderson has impressed for Nottingham Forest over the last 12 months since his move to the club from boyhood side Newcastle United in July 2024.
The box-to-box midfielder made 37 Premier League appearances last term, scoring twice and providing six assists as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side impressed and eventually finished in seventh place.
Nottingham Forest were fearful they’d need to sell Anderson this summer amid PSR concerns, but they have been able to keep hold of him for the campaign ahead, ironically after Anthony Elanga made a big-money move to Newcastle.
Anderson’s fine form has seen him rewarded with a maiden England call-up by Thomas Tuchel, and he repaid the German head-coach’s faith in his talents with a fine showing on his Three Lions debut against Andorra on Saturday (6 September), earning high praise from across the footballing world for his performance.
Elliot Anderson receives support after Player of the Match showing on England debut
Anderson played with the guile and nous of an experienced, top-quality midfielder at Villa Park, and he was named as the official Player of the Match after his England debut, while also receiving his first cap from none other than head-coach Tuchel.
The Forest star took to Instagram on Saturday following the game, posting a picture of him with his cap and his award alongside the caption: “An honour to make my (England) debut!”
Anderson’s message was reacted to by Three Lions and Barcelona star Marcus Rashford, who replied with two fire emojis, while a number of his his current and former teammates at club level also responded, as Anthony Elanga said: “What a player !,” Ola Aina added: “Light work,” and Tino Livramento left praise and red heart emojis, while Sven Botman left a trio of applause emojis, among many others.
Elliot Anderson will be in Thomas Tuchel’s thoughts after superb debut
Football Insider verdict
There are clearly still places up for grabs in Tuchel’s side, with Anderson probably still a way down the actual pecking order when he has a full complement of midfielders to choose from.
International football is never that simple though, and injuries to Jude Bellingham and Adam Wharton have left the door open for the 22-year-old to stake his claim ahead of the World Cup next year.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 84 | 2 | 10 |
He set about doing just that against Andorra, but the real test of his credentials will come away in Serbia on Tuesday (9 September), with Tuchel admitting after Saturday’s clash that Anderson is “clearly in the mix to play” in England’s toughest qualifying test.
The Forest man definitely has all the tools and the right skillset to be a mainstay in the Three Lions squad going forward, but he will need a bit of luck to go his way to actually become a regular starter ahead of the tournament in the USA in 2026.