Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs tried to convince Elliot Anderson to sign for the Reds this summer before his move to Manchester City
Ryan Giggs says he tried to get Elliot Anderson to sign for Man United.
Ryan Giggs says he tried to get Elliot Anderson to sign for Man United.(Image: Rio Ferdinand Presents)
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Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs says he 'peppered' Elliot Anderson to try and get him to sign at Old Trafford this summer after a chance meeting on the golf course on holiday. The England international was a reported target for Michael Carrick's side this summer, but it was Manchester City who won the race to sign him.
Giggs says Anderson told him 'to leave him alone' after the two crossed paths in Portugal in the days leading up to the World Cup. City would spend £116million on the 23-year-old from Nottingham Forest, while United would sign Youri Tielemans, Carlos Baleba and Andrey Santos to bolster their midfield instead.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents: The Debrief, Giggs said: "It was literally a few days before he went to the World Cup. I peppered him.
"He didn’t know how to take it at first, and then he relaxed a little bit. But for the first four or five holes, we were literally crossing.
"And at the end of it, he went, 'will you just let me, leave me alone. Will you just let me play my golf, please? You’re in trouble.'"
Ferdinand added: "That’s what I do when I see some players. I don’t care. You’ve got to try all sorts to get these deals over.
"It’s mad, though. Obviously, the price tag was crazy. And it’s just like astronomical money. And Man United ain’t got the budget to pay for that."
United would however, spend a reported £155m on the aforementioned midfield trio in an attempt to bolster Michael Carrick's squad before the summer transfer deadline.
Elliot Anderson Signs for Manchester City
Elliot Anderson joined Manchester City for £116m from Nottingham Forest(Image: Isaac Parkin / Manchester City FC)
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"I think we've brought some really good players into the football club, and improved the squad in different ways, individually but collectively," Carrick told Sky Sports when asked about United's summer transfer business.
"I think we've grown. You go into the window and when you come out of it, you want to be stronger than you were at the start. I'm convinced we are that.
"Transfer windows are never straightforward and this window in particular has been challenging for different reasons. There's a lot of money being spent in and around the league itself, and I think we've made the most of the situation that we've found ourselves in.
"That's the world we live in. Teams at certain points are going to spend a lot of money. Sometimes it's going to be more than what we spend, sometimes maybe not.
"We've got to make the most of what we can and understand where we're at. I think we're a very good team, we want to keep getting better."