Forget Igor Jesus, 22-duel star was the real standout for Nottingham Forest against Real Betis

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Nottingham Forest are back in European competition again, but they haven’t had the easiest of introductions back into it.

Ange Postecoglou has been given far from an easy start to his tenure at the City Ground, with the club still waiting for their first win of his tenure.

They came close in midweek when making the trip to Real Betis, as an Igor Jesus brace put Nottingham Forest in charge of the tie.

However, goals from Cedric Bakambu and Antony denied them that opportunity, meaning they had to settle for a point.

While their striker will get plenty of praise for the two finishes, it was another Forest star who perhaps showed his quality on an important night.

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Elliot Anderson stands out for Nottingham Forest in draw with Real Betis

While there will be some frustration surrounding Nottingham Forest’s draw with Real Betis, such as fans being frustrated with Oleksandr Zinchenko’s performance, there are some positives to take from it.

Among those was the performance of Elliot Anderson.

The midfielder has enjoyed an incredible rise over the past season and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

Anderson is all-action, which showed in everything he did against Real Betis.

The former Newcastle man had 67 touches with an 81% pass completion, which included four key passes for his team-mates.

Off the ball, he engaged in 22 ground duels, winning 13 of them, while he also racked up one clearance and two tackles in total.

Anderson was simply everywhere, and his continued impressive performances show how crucial he will be to the Postecoglou era.

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Joe Cole stunned by Elliot Anderson’s recent performances at Nottingham Forest

It’s not just the Nottingham Forest fans who have spotted the quality of Anderson in his performances.

Players and pundits are starting to sit up and take notice, as well as England manager Thomas Tuchel, who called the midfielder up for the previous international break.

Speaking on TNT Sports about Anderson, former Premier League star Joe Cole said: “I watched him in the summer, and I was so impressed with this kid.

“He’s now in the England squad and he’s doing amazing. Watch this, it’s Steven Gerrard-level of power, it’s outrageous.

“He plays for England at the World Cup and Forest fans won’t like me for this, but I don’t think he plays for Forest for very long.”

It remains to be seen what he can go on to do, but Anderson is certainly capturing plenty of attention early on this season.