Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs has told the story of how he tried to persuade Elliot Anderson to join his former club before the midfielder ultimately chose Manchester City instead.
Elliot Anderson has made a fast start to life at the Etihad Stadium since joining from Nottingham Forest for £116M.
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Anderson completed a £116 million move from Nottingham Forest to the Etihad Stadium in July after a whirlwind saga that saw United and City battle it out for the England international.
Following a standout 2025/26 campaign for Forest, during which he played 50 games in all competitions and started 37 in the Premier League, Anderson became United’s primary target heading into the summer window.
City entered the race shortly after with aggressive financial proposals, which led to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of Manchester United, and other leading officials withdrawing from negotiations with Forest.
Hugo Viana, City sporting director, continued to push for Anderson but had an £80 million bid rejected before a second proposal - a £122 million package split as £106 million guaranteed plus £16 million in potential add-ons - was swiftly rejected as well.
Both clubs, with the approval of Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, agreed on a £116 million flat fee, as Anderson became a City player on a five-year deal.
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Giggs Reveals Mix-Up With Anderson on Golf Course in Portugal
There was a period during the transfer battle where Anderson’s future was unstable, not from an ability standpoint but rather where he would be placed in Manchester.
Since his move to the Etihad Stadium, he has delivered some remarkable performances and has made his price tag seem a bargain for City, who also signed Enzo Fernandez and Ayyoub Bouaddi during a productive summer window.
It was during a trip to Portugal where Anderson ended up playing golf with Giggs, who revealed that the former Forest star was frustrated with him before the front nine was even finished.
“I peppered Anderson," Giggs said on the Rio Meets podcast. "He didn’t know how to take it at first, then he relaxed a little.
"For the first four or five holes, we were literally crossing, and at the end of it he went, ‘Will you just leave me alone? Will you just let me play my golf, please?!”
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I Had a Decision to Make and Chose Manchester City: Anderson
Anderson’s arrival started what would end up being one of the Citizens’ greatest transfer windows to date due to the proven talent that Viana and Maresca brought into the club without any hassle, especially when looking at the losses of Rodri, Bernardo Silva and John Stones.
In total, City spent just over £440 million on multiple talents such as Anderson, Fernandez, Bouaddi, Iliman Ndiaye and the promising Allan Elias from Palmeiras.
Anderson, who has featured in every game for City this season so far, told his side of the story when he met with Giggs and another former United player, Phil Bardsley, on the course.
“I was just golfing in Portugal and bumped into a few [former Manchester United players] and just had a nice chat. I had a decision to make, and I chose City,” Anderson told the Manchester Evening News.
When asked if the pair ever came close to persuading Anderson to join United, the midfielder simply replied: “No”.
After coming off the bench against FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night, the 23-year-old is expected to return to the starting XI when Manchester City take on their local rivals at Old Trafford on Sunday evening.