Anderson Dismisses United Rumors, Commits to Manchester City

Anderson has drawn a firm blue line through the rumours. According to the England midfielder, he was never close to joining Manchester United – even if a few Old Trafford regulars tried to turn his head on holiday.

Speaking at a fan event at Manchester City’s club store on Wednesday, the new Etihad signing addressed long-running claims that United had once made him a priority target before City sealed the deal.

Yes, he met United players. No, it didn’t change a thing.

"I was just golfing in Portugal and bumped into a few and had a nice chat and stuff like that, but I had a decision to make and I chose City," Anderson said, making it clear the conversation never went beyond pleasantries.

The suggestion that he was seriously weighing up a move across town has followed him since his transfer. Anderson, though, insists the story has been inflated.

"I've seen a few things. It was blown out of proportion," he said. "I was probably eight or nine when [Sergio] Aguero scored that goal. I've been watching City for the past 10 years. You've got a big decision to make – and I’m confident I've made the right one."

That Aguero moment, the 93:20 goal that reshaped Manchester’s football landscape, clearly left its mark. For Anderson, this is not just a high-profile move; it is a step into the club he grew up watching, the club that shaped his idea of modern football.

At the heart of that vision sits Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian has been a reference point for a generation of attacking midfielders, and Anderson freely admits he was one of them.

"De Bruyne was always the player I looked up to over the last 10 years," he revealed. "I loved watching him. To be here at the same club and playing where he played is special."

The connection runs deeper than a YouTube highlights habit. Anderson spent his formative years studying De Bruyne’s movement, his passing angles, his timing. Now he walks into the same dressing room, onto the same pitch, charged with carrying that creative lineage forward.

There is symbolism in his shirt choice too. When he makes his competitive debut in Sunday’s Community Shield against Arsenal at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, he will do so wearing number five – a number last owned by John Stones.

"I had a few numbers to choose from and obviously Stonesy was the last number five and he was really good with me in the summer and I thought it would be a great touch to take that," Anderson explained.

Stones’ help behind the scenes has eased the transition, the defender acting as both international teammate and club guide as Anderson settles into life at City.

The stage is set: a new signing, a number with history, a first shot at silverware, and a player determined to show he belongs on the side of Manchester he has followed since childhood.