Manchester City and Coventry City managers Enzo Maresca and Frank Lampard singled out Elliot Anderson for praise after Saturday's narrow contest at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City signed Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116M in June
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The 23-year-old has featured in all three of Manchester City's opening Premier League fixtures since his £116 million move from Nottingham Forest this summer, and the consistency of his contribution has drawn admiration from his own manager and from the opposition bench alike.
Having caught the eye in last week's 4-1 win over Crystal Palace, Anderson enjoyed his best outing in sky blue so far as he imposed his personality on the game, won back possession for his side and helped City keep a persistent Coventry side at bay in what was a narrow win for Maresca and co at the Etihad Stadium,
Anderson arrived at the Etihad Stadium after a summer in which Manchester United also explored a move for the midfielder and even discussed the possibility of making him captain, before the fee involved proved beyond their reach.
City paid the £116 million and Maresca's post-match comments suggest they are already seeing the return on that investment across multiple dimensions.
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Maresca: The Best Thing About Elliot is the Day-by-Day
Speaking after the final whistle, Maresca made clear that his admiration for Anderson extended well beyond Saturday's performance.
"Really impressed! Not just today, I think he was very good against Palace, also very good against Bournemouth thinking he was one week with us and changed due to cramp," the Manchester City manager said on Anderson, as quoted by official club media.
"The best thing about Elliot is the day-by-day: he's asking how he can learn, we sit with him, one-on-one video, we're doing many things.
"And he wants to be better! If you want to be there, you need options. Arsenal have options, we have options, more teams have options. Not just us. I'm very happy with the options - it's important if we want to compete."
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The reference to Maresca and his staff sitting with Anderson for individual video sessions speaks to a level of personal investment in the midfielder's development that goes beyond the standard early-season settling-in process.
The City manager has repeatedly spoken about the importance of a player's mentality and willingness to learn, and his public assessment of Anderson on both fronts is the clearest endorsement he has yet given.
Maresca also placed Anderson's performances in the wider context of squad depth and competition for places, framing his satisfaction not just as approval of one player but as confidence in a group capable of competing with Arsenal for the Premier League title.
Lampard, speaking at his own post-match press conference, added: "A really good player. I admire him from afar. First time I've seen him in the flesh.
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"Very talented, very smart. I think he's going to be a very good midfielder for Manchester City. I respect a high level player like that, no doubt."
What Anderson's Start Tells Us About Man City's Season
Three games in, Anderson has started each one and completed 90 minutes in two. For a player who joined one week before the Premier League season began, the speed of his integration is striking and reflects both his own quality and the groundwork he laid by watching video with Maresca before the campaign got underway.
The picture Maresca has painted this weekend of a record signing who is asking questions, sitting through individual sessions and actively seeking to improve is the kind of profile that wins titles over the course of a season, not just the opening month.
Anderson was Manchester City's first big-money signing of the summer and for a very short period, the club record signing, pointing to how convinced the club were about his attributes and what he'd bring to Maresca's starting XI.
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Man City have dominated Man United for as long as I've known, says Elliot Anderson after £116M transfer
Early signs point to a very successful career in the north-west for the England international, who is expected to operate in the number eight position according to recent reports but as he showed many a time on Saturday, Anderson is well-equipped to dropping deep when needed and perform the role of a box-to-box midfielder.