Anderson Declares Commitment to Manchester City
Anderson has drawn a clear blue line through the Manchester divide, insisting he was never close to joining United despite a charm offensive from Old Trafford’s dressing room during his summer break.
Speaking at a fan event at Manchester City’s club store on Wednesday, the England midfielder finally tackled the long-running rumour that United had made him a priority target before City sealed his signature.
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," he told supporters, brushing aside the suggestion that he had been seriously tempted by the red half of the city.
A childhood shaped by Aguero – and a decade of City
The story, he insisted, has been exaggerated.
"I've seen a few things. It was blown out of proportion," Anderson 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 title-clinching strike in 2012, clearly left its mark. For Anderson, this move is not a shock twist in the transfer market but the fulfilment of a path he has followed since he was a boy glued to the television, watching City tear up old hierarchies.
United may have been linked. Emotionally, though, there was only one destination.
De Bruyne’s shadow and a shirt with meaning
Beyond the badge, there is a player. Kevin De Bruyne, the standard-bearer for City’s modern era and the midfielder Anderson grew up dissecting on screens.
"De Bruyne was always the player I looked up to over the last 10 years," Anderson revealed. "I loved watching him. To be here at the same club and playing where he played is special."
Now he steps into a role on the same pitch, in the same colours, trying to write his own chapter in a midfield defined by the Belgian’s passing and movement.
He will do it wearing number five.
As he builds towards a likely competitive debut in Sunday’s Community Shield against Arsenal at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Anderson confirmed he has taken on a shirt with recent weight at the Etihad.
"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," he said.
John Stones’ influence off the pitch has helped smooth the transition. The number is a nod to that support, a subtle link between the old guard and the new arrival.
The speculation around United will linger in some corners, as it always does in this city. But Anderson has made his stance plain: his past was shaped by City, his present is painted sky blue, and his future starts in Cardiff on Sunday.
