When the England starting line-up is announced this evening, chances are it will feature Nottingham Forest representation once again.
Thomas Tuchel certainly hinted that will be the case with his post-match comments on Saturday. Elliot Anderson, the Three Lions boss said, had ‘passed the test’ when asked if the Reds ace was in contention to start against Serbia in Belgrade tonight.
Tuchel’s response came after an accomplished senior debut from Anderson against Andorra. The midfielder looked right at home on the big stage - no caveats about the standard of opposition required.
Anyone familiar with Anderson’s performances for Forest over the past 12 months would hardly have been surprised by his display in the World Cup qualifier at Villa Park as England triumphed. But his starring role did catch out one observer.
Lee Dixon was the butt of jokes on social media after he suggested Anderson was still a Magpie. "I saw him playing against Leeds last week and he was absolutely brilliant in midfield for Newcastle. He just ran the show,” the ITV co-commentator enthused.
As clangers go, that was quite a big one. Anderson - as Reds fans took great delight in pointing out to Dixon - left St James’ Park 12 months ago for a £35 million fee that effectively became £20m as Odysseas Vlachodimos headed in the opposite direction.
Forest’s outlay - even if it did come courtesy of Newcastle United’s financial issues - already looks like being an incredible bargain. Anderson’s value will have shot up over the past year thanks to regular game time and the tutelage of Nuno Espirito Santo. Become a regular England starter and it will only increase further.
It has been clear for some time Forest have a gem on their hands. Saturday’s outing added weight to that argument.
“He’s a phenomenal player,” defender Reece James told ITV after the game. “I have played against him a number of times and have seen what he can do in the Premier League - the toughest league in the world. I thought his call-up would come sooner.”
Now the call-up has come Anderson’s way, just try shifting him. He is up against some big names in the battle for a spot in the centre of the pitch, but the shirt is arguably his to lose on the back of Saturday.
There is no reason why he cannot become a regular in the first XI for his country and book his place in Tuchel’s World Cup squad for next year’s tournament. And in turn, that can only be a good thing for Forest.
Park the thought the Reds might soon be having to fend off potential suitors for the ‘Geordie Maradona’, Anderson has now had a taste of playing for England at senior level and he will want more. He will know he needs to keep performing in the Garibaldi in order to keep adding to his caps collection.
It is the same for Morgan Gibbs-White. To remain in Tuchel’s thoughts, both players will need to keep excelling at club level.
Earlier this year, national reports claimed Tuchel had dished out career advice to some members of his squad and made clear they needed to be playing ‘at the highest possible level’ to catch his eye. But any suggestion representing a non-Big Six side might count against players has been well and truly dismissed with Anderson’s outing.
“He’s just a very, very good football player,” Tuchel said of the Forest man. “It was a pleasure to see.
“It was a bit of a nervous start to the week, which is also nice to see – that not everything is normal for the guys, that they’re still nervous to come to camp and are not afraid to admit it. But very, very quickly he adapted to the quality and then we thought ‘why not to give him his debut straightaway? I think the team around him made it as easy as possible for him and he had a very strong performance.”
You can say that again. No doubt the same will be said plenty of times this season when Anderson links back up with Forest.
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