Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson has reflected on his first England senior call-up by Thomas Tuchel ahead of the Three Lions’ preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia, respectively, Softfootball reports.
As gathered by Softfootball, Anderson is among the new call-ups made by coach Thomas Tuchel, who is seeking to recycle and test all his available resources ahead of a major tournament.
Speaking to the England media after his training with the Three Lions at St George’s Park, Anderson said that the call-up overwhelmed him, as he was never expecting his name to pop up on the screen while watching the Europa League draw last week.
He told the media this:
At Forest, they showed the screen of me being called up in front of all the boys. They made me get up and do a speech — I wasn’t too good at it but I just said I was buzzing and really happy with all the hard work I’ve put in.
The 22-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough year, lifting the UEFA European U21 Championship with Lee Carsley’s squad earlier this summer in Slovakia. This has also added up to his development at club level with Nottingham under coach Espirito Santo, where he has registered three appearances this new season, including the famous 3-0 defeat to West Ham last Saturday. The performances of Anderson have now been rewarded by Tuchel, who sees him as part of England’s midfield depth for the coming campaign.
Anderson, who also credited Morgan Gibbs-White for helping him settle into camp, said that:
He told me just to be myself and do what I’ve done to get here. It’s really good already I’m excited to get on the pitch.
The Three Lions will be playing their first game in the September World Cup qualifying window on Saturday at Villa Park against Andorra, who had suffered a lone-goal defeat from England in their last meeting in June. England leads the group K with nine points, having won their last three games, conceding three goals.
