Elliot Anderson was speaking at an England press conference ahead of the game with Japan
Brian Dick Reach Football Correspondent
13:03, 30 Mar 2026
Elliot Anderson of England
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Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest and England(Image: Getty Images)
Elliot Anderson has knocked back questions about his Nottingham Forest future – as he prepares to secure his place in England’s World Cup squad.
As things stand the Reds midfielder is favourite to start for the Three Lions when they face Croatia in Arlington, Texas on June 17.
That’s down to his outstanding performances under Thomas Tuchel but also his good season at Forest which has attracted the attention of the likes of Manchester City, Man United and Arsenal.
Indeed Anderson’s future has been the subject of speculation for most his time at the City Ground and is sure to be a hot topic again this summer, especially if the 23-year-old has a good World Cup.
However, asked about that ‘distraction’ ahead of tomorrow night’s friendly with Japan at Wembley, Anderson was playing with a straight bat: “We've obviously got the World Cup this summer, so all my eyes are on that and playing for England. I've obviously got the badge on now, so that's what I'm thinking about at the moment.”
Anderson did, though, admit playing against the world’s elite and fighting a relegation battle involved ‘different emotions’. “Yeah, definitely but ultimately all the games are the same. I'm just going on the pitch and trying to give my best and fight for whatever strip I've got on – that's all I'm doing.”
On Friday night Anderson watched as Jordan Henderson and James Garner tried to take the No. 6 shirt off him but insisted there is nothing but healthy competition in Tuchel’s squad.
“We're all sort of competing with each other but we're all really good mates within the group, so there's definitely a great balance, the competitiveness is definitely there and we're really enjoying it.
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“[It’s a] Really good group of players and really important that we're a really good group of people as well, so, I think the balance is really good at the moment. I'm really enjoying coming into camp and speaking to the lads and learning off what they do on the pitch, so it's a really good moment.”
Anderson will next be in action for Forest when they play Porto in the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday, April 9.
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