'He's a very, very good football player' - Tuchel gushes over Anderson's England debut

Thomas Tuchel praised the performance of Elliot Anderson on his England debut as he flourished in midfield against Andorra at Villa Park.

Anderson was handed his first Three Lions start in the centre of midfield with Declan Rice, and produced a productive and lively performance, winning seven of his duels and boasting a pass accuracy of 97%.

The Nottingham Forest midfielder also went close to scoring in the second half and was awarded player of the match, with Tuchel keen to praise his capabilities in the post-match press conference.

“He’s just a very, very good football player,” Tuchel said.

“He has the physicality, he’s very mobile at No 6. He has the body, he loves to defend, he loves to put his body inside to duels. He loves passing, he loves to break the lines, he’s very mobile in this game. It was a pleasure to see.

“I think the team around him made it as easy as possible for him and he had a very strong performance"

Asked whether Anderson had done enough to keep his place for the trip to Serbia, Tuchel gave a positive prognosis. 

He said: "That was the test – and I think he passed the test. There is no reason why he can’t play in Serbia if we decide to have that position for him, he is ready to go.”

Rice scored his sixth goal for the Three Lions in the second half, heading home after a fine cross from Reece James, and he reserved praise for his midfield partner.

When asked how he performed, Rice told ITV Sport: "Exactly how he's been doing for club, he was incredible for the whole of last season.

"He was incredible for the Under-21s during the summer too.

"This week he's been outstanding and he's a top player."

England and Tuchel now continue their World Cup qualifying campaign with a trip to Serbia on Tuesday.