Not that England are particularly low on options in any area of the pitch, but the Three Lions have a particularly well-stocked midfield with numerous brilliant players to pick from. In March 2025, Thomas Tuchel revealed his first England squad since taking charge of the national side at the turn of the year.
Some midfield choices such as Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice were certainties, given their ability and pre-established place within the national side. Others, such as Jordan Henderson’s inclusion, came as a surprise, with very few–if any–expecting the Ajax midfielder to feature.
Despite a strong opening campaign in the Spanish capital, Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher was not called up by Tuchel. Liverpool middle man Curtis Jones was, however, as a reward for the form he has shown under Arne Slot at Anfield. Also called up was Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White, though only to replace the injured Cole Palmer, with his initial omission having caused discontent amongst England fans.
Throughout the 2024/25 season, how do the three aforementioned midfielders compare with one another?
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Morgan Gibbs-White
Nottingham Forest
Morgan Gibbs-White celebrates
A natural playmaker, Morgan Gibbs-White has been with Nottingham Forest since 2022, having joined them off the back of a successful loan spell, away from former club Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Sheffield United. In his first two seasons, Gibbs-White showed glimpses of brilliance in a team that battled to remain in the Premier League.
Since the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo, however, Gibbs-White has seen his form sky-rocket. Always an important player for Forest, the 25-year-old is one of the first names on the team sheet for his new manager, playing a crucial role for the Garibaldis and their fast, direct attacking moves.
Nottingham Forest are well within the hunt for Champions League football, something that seemed unthinkable to many given the high standards of the English top flight and Forest’s relatively recent promotion from the Championship. Gibbs-White’s form has been pivotal in such a race and saw him rewarded, in 2024, with his first caps for the English national side under the management of Lee Carsley.
Conor Gallagher
Atletico Madrid
Conor Gallagher
Midfielder Conor Gallagher spent the first five years of his career on the books at Chelsea, though only truly broke into their first team after a productive loan spell with Crystal Palace in the 2021/22 season. Gallagher played relatively consistently in the two years between then and 2024, when he departed the club he joined as a youngster in 2006.
After weeks of rumours, Gallagher officially moved to Atletico Madrid near the end of the 2024 summer window, with the midfielder joining the growing number of English players moving abroad. A brilliant box-to-box midfielder, Gallagher’s energy and endeavour made him an ideal target for long-serving Atletico manager Diego Simeone.
Gallagher quickly became a regular first-team player in the Spanish capital and has, up to date, helped Atletico maintain a title charge in competition with Real Madrid and Barcelona. Still in the infancy of his time in Spain, Gallagher’s performances have been well-received by fans, who appreciate his quality and efforts.
Curtis Jones
Liverpool
trent curtis jones darwin nunez
At the time of writing, Curtis Jones has spent his entire career, both as a youth player and senior player, with Liverpool. A local lad, Jones joined the Liverpool academy in 2010 and progressed to the first team eight years later. Since then, Jones has steadily developed and with that, has seen his minutes increase.
With over 150 appearances to his name, it can be easy to forget that Jones is still just 24 years old. Particularly since 2022, the midfielder has seen an improvement in minutes and as such, his form. In 2024, much akin to Gibbs-White, Jones was handed his first-ever England caps under the guidance of Lee Carsley.
Jones has started over half of the 24 Premier League games he has played in this season, having taken on an important role as Liverpool have stormed the English top flight and look set to win what will be their second Premier League title.
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How Do The Three Compare?
Trio have all enjoyed great seasons
Gibbs-White is, in comparison to Jones and Gallagher, a more advanced player. It is not that the duo can not be deployed further forward, but both tend to occupy a deeper role than Gibbs-White, who is an out-and-out number 10.
|Morgan Gibbs-White|Conor Gallagher|Curtis Jones|
|Competition|Appearances|Goals|Assists|Competition|Appearances|Goals|Assists|Competition|Appearances|Goals|Assists|
|---|---|---|
|Premier League|25|5|7|La Liga|22|2|2|Premier League|24|3|3|
|FA Cup|2|0|0|Champions League|9|1|1|Champions League|8|0|2|
|League Cup|0|0|0|Copa del Rey|6|0|2|League Cup|5|0|1|
As is evident in the table above, Gibbs-White has the most goal involvements by far, as should be expected by a player of his position. Gallagher and Jones, meanwhile, have enjoyed startlingly similar seasons, though Jones slightly edges the pair in terms of goal contributions, with both having made 37 appearances in all competitions.
Presumably, Gallagher will feature in one of Tuchel's England teams in the near future, but will be forced to watch from the sidelines as Gibbs-White and Jones aim to impress the new Three Lions boss.
(All stats are from Transfermarkt and are correct as of 19/03/2025)
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