Elliot Anderson hopes Nuno Espirito Santo still at Nottingham Forest on return
Elliot Anderson is hoping Nuno Espirito Santo is still in charge of Nottingham Forest when he returns from England duty.
Anderson is enjoying his first taste of senior international football having been called up for forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia after helping the Under-21s to Euros glory in the summer.
He comes from a club in the midst of civil unrest as Nuno is set for peace talks with Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis during the current international break.
The Portuguese admitted his bond with the Greek businessman deteriorated amid a similarly terse relationship with new head of football Edu Gaspar.
Anderson’s full focus is on cementing his place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad but hopes Nuno will still have a job when his attention turns back to club matters.
“Yeah definitely,” Anderson said when asked if he hoped Nuno would still be boss.
“He’s been really good for me. I feel he’s given me the freedom to go out and do what I do. He just believes in me, which is the main thing.
“He has said ‘go out and play the way you train’, which has really helped me. Freedom in the team has given me the platform to do well.
“Right now I’m just focusing on this camp and doing my best here and then when I get back to my club I’ll be focused on my club.”
Anderson is hoping to become the latest of the famed Wallsend Boys Club alumni to play for England, following in the footsteps of Alan Shearer, Paul Gascoigne, Peter Beardsley and Michael Carrick.
Anderson played in the same team as Gascoigne’s nephew so got some special attention from the former England maestro.
“His nephew, I think it was, played for my team throughout the ages so I sort of got to speak to him a few times through my upbringing, so