Elliot Anderson provides instant justification for Nottingham Forest price tag as stats vs Costa Rica emerge
Elliot Anderson provided yet another example of his brilliance amid Manchester City's ongoing negotiations with Nottingham Forest.
The Citizens reportedly had a verbal bid worth in excess of £120million, including add-ons, rejected for the 23-year-old this week, with transfer chiefs at the City Ground holding out for a fixed fee worth over £125m.
It is unclear whether Man City would be willing to break the Premier League transfer record for Anderson, but with three years remaining on his contract, Nottingham Forest are not under pressure.
The midfielder's performance at this summer's World Cup could be key to any potential deal, with his display on Wednesday suggesting that it may be a strong tournament for him.
England beat Costa Rica 3-0 in Florida, with Declan Rice, Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins finding the net in a perfect final warm-up for Thomas Tuchel's side.
Anderson was excellent in midfield, and his stats may well give Man City something to think about.
Elliot Anderson's staggering stats vs Costa Rica
Incredibly, Wednesday night's game was just Anderson's ninth cap for England after making his debut in September.
But already, it is extremely hard to see a world in which the Nottingham Forest midfielder does not start against Croatia in the opener.
Paired in midfield with Rice and Jude Bellingham, the 23-year-old was the sitter of the three, constantly cutting out attacks and recycling play.
In his 71 minutes on the pitch, Anderson completed 74 passes, 10 into the final third and was not dispossessed a single time.
It was his defensive work that really stood out, though. Three tackles, a block and seven recoveries were impressive alone, but the midfielder won a remarkable five free-kicks.
In the duel, he was almost flawless, winning eight of his nine ground duels and two of his three aerials.
If Man City did not already know why Nottingham Forest are demanding such a massive fee for Anderson, perhaps they do now.
Thomas Tuchel's policy could allow Anderson move
Most would expect any transfer business for players in North America, like in the case of Anderson, to take the back seat over the course of the World Cup. Or at least, for the time England participate.
But according to Tuchel, that is not the case. "It's about common sense," he explained last week. "I would not like [transfer business being done on] the day before a match, or on a matchday, that's the policy. Maybe two days before too, but let's see.
"But everything else - if it's done privately, efficiently and quietly - then we are always happy to help. It helps to have clarity around any player. If anyone has a chance to complete a change of club we will not stand in their way."
Should Man City decide to make a bid worth in excess of £125m and satisfactory for Nottingham Forest, the transfer record could well fall during the tournament.