Morgan Gibbs-White, who was once too nervous to try out for Wayne Rooney, is hoping this week to realise a lifelong ambition by following the same path as his idol.
Gibbs-White’s motto is “Why save a good thing for later?” (words tattooed on her wrist), but she’s certainly had to bide her time on this one.
Seven years after helping England win the Under-17 World Cup and six after making his Premier League debut, the midfielder has finally broken into the senior squad and, barring injury, should make his debut during the upcoming Nations League matches against the Republic of Ireland and Finland.
The 24-year-old has come close to signing him before. Steve Cooper was the manager of that Under-17s team and then signed Gibbs-White twice, first on loan to Swansea from Wolves and then for £25m to Forest. Cooper has never hidden his admiration for Gibbs-White, so much so that when he signed for Forest the Welshman received calls from former FA colleagues saying: “I see you’ve got your man.”
The fee, which could rise to £42.5m, raised eyebrows at the time but Cooper deserves huge credit for turning him so quickly from an unfulfilled talent into a proven Premier League player.
Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White has finally earned his first call-up to the senior England squad.
Barring injury, the midfielder will make his debut in the upcoming Nations League matches
Cooper’s positive reports to the England staff certainly helped Gibbs-White’s cause. During a session with the Under-21s at St George’s Park, the youngster was invited to train with the senior squad and made a big impression.
With Gareth Southgate looking ahead to Euro 2024, he and assistant Steve Holland travelled to the City Ground to watch Gibbs-White in Forest’s Carabao Cup semi-final against Manchester United in January 2023.
As Sports mail As he revealed, Holland visited the club’s base on the outskirts of the city the following day and, although Gibbs-White did not train, the two held long conversations. The message was clear: keep doing what you’re doing. You’re not far away.
Gibbs-White never made it into Southgate’s squad, despite helping England win another trophy, this time the European Under-21 Championship in the summer of 2023.
Perhaps it’s no coincidence that the call came at a time when Gibbs-White has matured greatly off the field. His football mentality – training hard, playing hard, demanding more from his teammates, overcoming setbacks – is at the elite level, but now his approach has evolved impressively.
Gibbs-White’s motto is “Why save a good thing for later?”, words tattooed on her wrist.
Steve Cooper deserves credit for turning him into a proven Premier League footballer.
At Wolves and during his early days at Forest, Sports mail understands that Gibbs-White can be charming some days and less so on others.
Over the past year, Gibbs-White has grown from a boy into a man. He is believed to have fully understood that the job of a Premier League footballer is not limited to training and matches.
Gibbs-White has other responsibilities and Forest staff are delighted with the progress he has made in that regard. His partner, Britney De Villiers, gave birth to the couple’s first child, Greyson, last November.
Newcastle and Aston Villa are believed to have made preliminary enquiries about Gibbs-White this summer, but at Forest he is in his element. Not only is he the main man for the first team, but managers speak enthusiastically of how Gibbs-White takes the time to mentor the club’s academy players.
Talks are expected to progress this season over a new contract that would elevate Gibbs-White to the top of Forest’s wage scale, with the club keen to tie down their star man.
In football, things can change in the blink of an eye. For now, though, Gibbs-White has no desire to leave. The family recently moved into a new home in the Nottingham area and Gibbs-White feels loved by everyone at the club.
Gibbs-White is in his element at Forest and in the last year has grown from a boy to a man.
He has been advised to keep a close eye on how England’s senior players behave during camp.
It will now be important for him to keep a cool head, especially if he performs well for England. He should feel at home from the start. Lille midfielder Angel Gomes has also been called up for the first time and is a close friend of Gibbs-White from their youth years.
Gibbs-White has been advised to keep a close eye on the behaviour of England’s stars, particularly Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice. The trio are as impressive off the pitch as they are on it and if Gibbs-White can do that, England will have a fine player.
He is happiest as a number 10, playing just behind a centre-forward, and has told friends how much he enjoys playing in a slightly deeper midfield role too.
Never afraid to try risky passes, Gibbs-White is aware that in international football keeping the ball is more important than ever.
“He has great football intelligence,” says one coach from his early days. “He can wear number 10, 8, 4. If he was asked to play right back, he could do that too because he understands the game.”
If Gibbs-White behaves well off the pitch, England will have some players
That manager mentioned Steven Gerrard to illustrate the point, but there is another outstanding England player who could read the game just as well.
Gibbs-White, a Manchester United fan who grew up in Staffordshire, would try to copy Rooney on weekend mornings before returning home to his father, amateur footballer Kirk White, to watch on television.
“He was in charge of Derby when I was on loan at Sheffield United but when we played them I was a bit nervous about going near him,” Gibbs-White said. Sports mail in an interview in 2023. ‘I idolized him, so seeing him in person was ‘Woah.”
Not many players will be able to eclipse Rooney, but when Gibbs-White meets his hero again, he should be happy to look him in the eye.