Elliot Anderson's stock has risen astronomically and there were considerable expectations on the midfielder's shoulders after sealing a £116m move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City in the summer.

The 24-year-old established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League and has become a key man for England, helping Thomas Tuchel's side to a third-placed finish at this summer's World Cup.

His highly impressive performances for Forest over the past two seasons had him tracked by the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal before his move to Etihad Stadium.

European football expert Guillem Balague said on BBC Match of the Day he had spoken to City manager Enzo Maresca in the summer and asked if he wants to sign Bournemouth's Alex Scott and Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton.

The Italian's response was "no", adding: "Anderson is going to become the key player for England, not just City."

Anderson may well be afforded a generous reception when he makes his return to the City Ground on Saturday, with Forest supporter Ellie Molloson telling BBC Sport: "I know the stadium will be ringing with 'Geordie Maradona'.

"It will be bittersweet because we miss him, but we are quite proud of just how fantastic a player he is."

Few Forest fans will "begrudge him for his whopping move", but is Anderson managing to live up to the hype in the early days of his City career?

Anderson was one of the standout central midfielders in the Premier League last season.

He topped the rankings for a number of metrics such as touches of the ball, winning possession, contesting duels and drawing the most fouls.

His influence was striking despite featuring in a struggling Forest side which had four different managers and finished only five points above the relegation zone.

The former Newcastle player's tireless work-rate means he has effectively replaced Bernardo Silva at City, making the step up to a side that won two trophies last season and could challenge for the title again.

Though Anderson has not fully replicated the outright league-leading dominance he showcased across several metrics last season, his underlying numbers remain elite.

He has drawn more fouls (28) than any other player in the division, while he ranks second for duels won (66) and third for successful passes (610) and touches on the ball (851).

Only Tottenham's Jan Paul van Hecke and Arsenal's Declan Rice have managed more successful passes in the opposition half and line-breaking passes than Anderson, but the City midfielder has played at least 66 minutes fewer than both.

Anderson's deep-lying number six role means he has only one goal and two assists in 14 games this season, though he did lay on Erling Haaland's winner against RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday.

"He has been amazing," said Haaland afterwards. "He has had an amazing start to his City career and that is what you expect. You have to come straight in and perform.

"It is not easy to come in, you need to adapt and new players and a new coach, so he he has been impressive. Respect."

In Tuesday's training session open to the media before City's trip to Leipzig, some players came out looking relaxed in groups but Anderson emerged by himself, doing kick-ups with a laser focus on the ball.

It perhaps hints at a steely determination to remain fixated and give his best at every opportunity, whether that be in training or during the intensity of a match.

Anderson was the first to step up in one of the group drills and was deemed the winner during a set-up which involved a slalom with the ball before smashing a finish into a mini net.

Asked if he was surprised at how quickly Anderson had settled in to life at City, Maresca told BBC Sport: "Knowing him now, he is a guy who wants to learn every day and we sat with him with video [analysis].

"He wants to understand things, he wants to learn and improve and for a manager it's a dream because you know that he wants to learn and you can do different things."

Molloson adds: "The way Anderson reads the game, the way he dominates midfield, he is such an intelligent football player and he is so young, there is still so much more to come from him.

"He is a leader on the pitch and I just think he is phenomenal. I think Forest fans would definitely have him back in a heartbeat."

Maresca has acknowledged Anderson's box-to-box qualities but sees him as City's number six this season. The demands of this role differ from how Anderson has previously been used.

Following Manchester City's 4–1 win over Crystal Palace in August, Anderson said: "I'm loving [my role but] it's a bit different to what I've been used to. I've got to be a bit more structured, that's what I'm learning, to stay in my position. At Forest I was doing a little bit more."

His physicality, intensity and intelligence make him an excellent front-footed midfielder, capable of pressing players high or wide, winning the ball and starting attacks. When City have pressed man-to-man but been played through, Anderson has often impressively stopped attacks alone.

The same qualities that Anderson posesses have also been exploited at times.

Habitually, he reacts to players more than thinking about positions, as he is able to win the ball back more often than not from most players. As a result, some opponents have looked to position themselves near him before moving away, enticing the Englishman to follow.

Sunderland's Enzo le Fee made constant off-the-ball runs around and beyond Anderson in September. The England midefielder, almost magnetically, locked on to Le Fee, tracking those runs, which left space in front of City's defence.

Paris St-Germain and Brighton also used these decoy runs to pull Anderson away, creating space in midfield.

Ayyoub Bouaddi has been trialled alongside Anderson in midfield. When Anderson does vacate the holding midfield position to press, something we saw against PSG, a second defensive midfielder alongside him can help protect the centre of the pitch – a temporary fix as Anderson moulds his impressive skillset to Maresca's asks.

In 2021, Guardiola reflected on Rodri's first season, saying: "Last season he moved too much. The holding midfielder has to be there, don't move, be there." In 2024, he won the Ballon d'Or.

City will certainly be pleased with the quality of Anderson so far. It would also be fair to say his debut season has begun better than Rodri's did in 2020. But both City and Anderson will be hoping for a development in positional understanding that mimics the player he was brought in to replace.