‘Kings of Manchester’—Elliot Anderson Stokes Bitter Rivalry With Man Utd Dig
Elliot Anderson appeared to take a shot at Manchester United on his first day as a Manchester City player, suggesting he’s only ever known one successful team in Manchester.
Anderson was briefly the most expensive player in Premier League history when City agreed to pay Nottingham Forest a club record £116 million ($154.5 million) earlier this month. But before the midfielder was even through the door to have his first photoshoot in sky blue, Chelsea surpassed that record with a £117 million ($155.8 million) deal for Morgan Rogers.
Still, Anderson faces significant pressure to justify his price tag, but is clearly satisfied with his choice. Manchester United had been interested in the England international, but his apparent preference for City and Forest’s exorbitant demands saw the Red Devils back off and pursue Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans instead.
City played up to the idea that Anderson overlooked United to choose them instead, with an X post that mimicked picking teams on a video game. The social media team had to manipulate the alphabet slightly to actually make it work, though.
Never in doubt 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/GI7Ud2ZT1L
— Manchester City (@ManCity) July 23, 2026
Anderson Immediately Targets Manchester Derby
City boy 🏙️ pic.twitter.com/Y28kjraqHK
— Manchester City (@ManCity) July 23, 2026
Anderson was born and raised in Newcastle and so has no prior ties to Manchester. But he has already identified the derby against United as a game he’s looking forward to.
“It’s one of the biggest derbies in the world and for as long as I’ve known Manchester [soccer], City have been the Kings of Manchester,” he said in his official unveiling on Thursday, throwing some early shade across the divide.
“It’ll be a great fixture, and I can’t wait to be involved in something like that.”
Anderson was born in Nov. 2002 and aged just 10 when Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down as Manchester United manager in May of 2013 after delivering his 11th Premier League title. It was then that the power balance, which had threatened to shift ever since the 2008 Abu Dhabi takeover, suddenly pulled firmly towards the Etihad Stadium.
In the last decade alone, City have been crowned English champions six times, with United never finishing higher than second (2017–18, 2020–21). Even in Anderson’s entire lifetime, City have claimed the Premier League trophy on eight occasions to United’s five.
So where United once had their closest geographic rivals beat hands down, for players like Anderson—born in the 21st century—the picture is very different to how it used to be. There may be scrutiny about how City’s nouveau-riche success has come about, but the reality is they have been the leading club in England for what is now a dynastic length of time.
Anderson will face Manchester United for the first time in City colors on Sept. 13 at Old Trafford.
Man City vs. Man Utd Is Never Predictable
Man Utd defied expectation to win the most recent derby. / Joe Prior/Visionhaus/Getty Images
Three days after Anderson was born, City beat United 3–1.
That was highly significant for two reasons. Firstly, as the last ever Manchester derby played at Maine Road before City moved to the former Commonwealth Games stadium that was eventually renamed the Etihad. Secondly, it was a first victory for City over United since 1989, failing to win any of 16 matches in the intervening 13 years.
City fell on hard times in the 1990s and were relegated twice, before yo-yoing their way back to permanent Premier League status by 2002. Since then, derby clashes have never been predictable, with form often going out of the window regardless of whichever club has been the dominant force in England.
Even though City have just about won more major trophies in Anderson’s lifetime—22 to 17—in 58 derby clashes, it’s only 27 City wins to 22 United wins, and nine draws.
The most recent meeting between the clubs was supposed to be a City walkover in Jan. 2026, with Michael Carrick taking charge of his first match as interim manager. But United came out swinging and shredded City to claim a famous 2–0 victory.
