The bond between the Nottingham Forest squad is noticeably strong, but Morgan Gibbs-White has picked out a teammate he’d hate to be on the opposite side of.
Gibbs-White himself has become a leader in the Forest squad both on and off the pitch, so much so that West Ham boss Graham Potter gave Gibbs-White credit for this season as one of the Reds’ most crucial cogs.
Not one to take all of the limelight, though, Gibbs-White hailed Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic for their contribution to Forest’s European qualification, which could turn into a Champions League berth with the right results on the final day.
Forest may have a secret weapon that day, someone that Gibbs-White feels incredibly lucky to play alongside rather than against.
Photo by Jon Hobley | MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Jon Hobley | MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Morgan Gibbs-White would hate to face ‘horrible’ Ryan Yates
As a battling midfielder, Ryan Yates has a tendency to irritate opposition fans, as shown recently when Tottenham fans were furious with Yates for helping Forest see out three points away from home.
The Forest Academy graduate has built up a reputation for his style of play, which Gibbs-White feels relieved not to have to face up against.
Speaking to Stadium Astro, Gibbs-White said: “Ryan Yates is the complete opposite on the pitch than what he is off the pitch. I always say to people he’s one of them players that you love having on your team, but you completely hate playing against.
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“Off the pitch, he’s the nicest guy you will ever meet. He’s so chilled, so humble, so down to earth, just a really lovely guy and someone you want to be around 24/7.
“Then you get him on the pitch and he’s horrible, aggressive, wears his heart on his sleeve, and it just sums up the sort of guy he is. He’s the perfect leader for Nottingham Forest.”
It’s this leadership quality that could make Yates crucial against Chelsea on Sunday, but he’ll have to settle for a place on the bench due to the resurging form of Ibrahim Sangare.
Ryan Yates can play a crucial supporting role against Chelsea
Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the West Ham victory was seeing Forest take the lead in the game and control it in a way that hasn’t looked as comfortable in recent weeks.
Part of this control came from another excellent performance from Sangare. Only misplacing two of his passes in the game, Forest fans hailed Sangare for the latest in a string of displays that are keeping Yates out of the starting XI.
Statistic Ryan Yates this season
Blocks 1.71
Clearances 2.90
Aerials won 2.14
His role is crucial off the bench, though, excelling in stats such as clearances and blocks that will be important should Forest be holding a lead on Sunday.
In fact, according to FBref, Yates is in the top 4% of midfielders in European football for clearances, highlighting his valuable strengths even if Sangare starts ahead of him against Chelsea.