Dan Burn makes good point about Elliot Anderson's career after forced Newcastle exit

Two years ago, Newcastle United were forced into a player sale that nobody wanted to make thanks to the ridiculous Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

Both the Magpies and Nottingham Forest were staring down the barrel of a points deduction if they didn't get their accounts in order before the end of June. In a bid to avoid such sanctions, the two sides worked out a deal that saw Elliot Anderson head to Nottingham for £35 million, and goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos go the other way for £20 million.

Newcastle got absolutely shafted on the deal no matter how you look at it, but it had to be done, and Newcastle have been dealing with the aftermath ever since.

Watching Anderson hit the heights he has is about as bittersweet as it gets. We're all so proud to see one of our own doing so well, but we can't help wishing he was doing it in the black and white of Newcastle - and we're sure he feels the same.

Dan Burn was buzzing for his former teammate after World Cup bow

That being said, we've said for a while now that we're not sure Anderson would have got to this point had he stayed at Newcastle, as he wouldn't have been offered the same first-team opportunities. That's something that Dan Burn has echoed in his recent press conference from the England camp at the World Cup.

"Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I don’t think he wanted to leave Newcastle. I know that’s been spoken about.

“I don’t think he wanted to leave Newcastle but would he be in the position he is in now if still was at Newcastle?

“He is very composed and nothing really seems to faze Elliot from what I have seen - from him coming through as a kid when he came back off loan at Bristol Rovers and trained with Newcastle, to now starting in the World Cup,” Burn said. "He never changes character and is always wanting the ball. He plays with that intensity the manager loves.

"I was really happy for him the other day (in the win over Croatia) because he’s had a tough time in his personal life. I was really happy he got off to a good start. He has shown the type of player he is and the quality he has got.”

There's no ceiling for Elliot Anderson

Anderson is currently the subject of a transfer tussle between Forest and Manchester City, who are ready to go all-in to bring the England star through the door this summer.

The irony is that Anderson was being groomed to be the replacement for Sandro Tonali at Newcastle when the Italian eventually moved on, which now looks likely to happen this summer, and both could end up at Man City.

We're buzzing for the lad from Whitley Bay, but man, do we wish he was still at St James' Park.