Morgan Gibbs-White is very much the main man at Nottingham Forest.
Although the rise to third place in the Premier League has been a collective, sheer team effort, it’s fair to say that Gibbs-White is the one who often makes Forest tick.
Right now, the same can’t be said for the midfielder on the international stage.
Morgan Gibbs-White wasn’t named in the original England squad by new head coach Thomas Tuchel for the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.
Forest fans sang about Tuchel away at Ipswich but just hours after that game, the Reds fans were backtracking when an injury to Cole Palmer saw Gibbs-White earn the late nod.
On Friday, the Forest man was left out of the England squad to face Albania, but Tuchel praised Gibbs-White in the aftermath.
Now, there could be some seriously positive news for Gibbs-White as the Three Lions prepare for another showdown, this time against Latvia.
Photo by Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Photo by Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Thomas Tuchel issues update that could help Morgan Gibbs-White
Although Gibbs-White has made two substitute appearances against the Republic of Ireland and Greece previously, he’s still waiting for a proper chance to impress on this stage.
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Tonight might just prove to be the night where Gibbs-White gets a proper chance, say half an hour or so, to make a major impact on a game on the international stage.
Gibbs-White has never played for England at Wembley and Tuchel has dropped some hints that some players are feeling a little bit fatigued ahead of this particular game.
Football reporter in the south, Bobby Manzi, has posted on X that some players are struggling with their legs ahead of the game and as a result, some changes might be made to the team.
That could see a door swing open in the direction of Gibbs-White and after Anthony Gordon returned to Newcastle following a hip injury, the Forest man will almost certainly be included tonight.
Forest will hope Gibbs-White returns fit and fresh
The Reds fan base will be desperate to see Gibbs-White strutting his stuff on this stage but ultimately, it’s all about his fitness.
Forest have a pivotal week in the season coming up with an FA Cup quarter-final against Brighton and games in the Premier League against Manchester United and Aston Villa to come.
The Reds need to ensure that all of the players who headed off on international duty can return fit and fresh, ready to help Forest secure Champions League football next season.
It would be seriously great to see Gibbs-White on the pitch for a decent amount of time at Wembley tonight but the real hope will be that he doesn’t pick up an injury that sees him miss any of the Forest run in.