Nottingham Forest ace Morgan Gibbs-White discusses Fenerbahce clash and appointment of Vitor Pereira
18:11, 18 Feb 2026
Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White
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Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White(Image: Getty)
Morgan Gibbs-White has emphasised the importance of unity as Nottingham Forest adjust to their fourth head coach of the season.
Vitor Pereira will take charge of his first Reds game on Thursday when his team face Fenerbahce in the first leg of their Europa League play-off (5.45pm kick-off). The Portuguese will have had only a few days with his players by then after being appointed on Sunday.
Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou and Sean Dyche have all had spells in the City Ground hot seat this term, and now it is Pereira’s turn. Gibbs-White says the new man has put forward a clear plan for the squad, and he believes a strong sense of togetherness can help to deliver it.
“As players you get used to change,” said Forest’s No.10. “Some players come and go, and managers come and go.
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“It is important us as players to stick together in these moments. Since the new manager has come in, it has been really exciting. He’s been really clear about what he wants us to do, so we are really excited to play tomorrow.
“Having a together team out there on the pitch is one of the most important things. I think we’ve got that in abundance in this group. It is just about how we display it on the football pitch.
“The new manager has given us all the right ideas. He has brought a real positive vibe and energy to the group.
“We’ve brought in players with quality so it’s just about finding the right balance in the team. We did it last season so why can’t we do it now?
“The expectations are obviously higher right now and we’ve been through a lot of change. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the togetherness of this group.”
Maintaining the club’s Premier League status is the absolute priority for Pereira with 12 games of the campaign to go. But having returned to the continental stage for the first time in three decades, Forest are eager to make it through to the last 16 of the Europa League.
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Pereira had two spells as Fenerbahce manager earlier in his career. He has versed his squad on what to expect from what is sure to be a raucous atmosphere at the Chobani Stadyumu.
“I think all of the players, including myself, and the staff are all really excited. It is another game for us to go and attack,” Gibbs-White added.
“The manager has only been in for a couple of days but it has been really exciting. He has been really clear about what he wants from us and our game-plan tomorrow. We are all excited.
“It is going to be a massive test. Fenerbahce have been on a brilliant run, so it is going to be a really tough game.
“We all know the atmosphere here is incredible but our fans are also coming and they are equally incredible. It is going to be an incredible night for both teams. They are a tough team to play but we’re excited to get going.
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“I don’t think you can really prepare for an atmosphere, you just have to focus on your game, the team and try to focus on what you can do to help the team as much as possible. It is about focusing on ourselves.
“Obviously it’s going to be very loud. All we can do is focus on ourselves. We know we will get support from our fans so it’s an exciting time for them but also for us.
“It’s been an incredible journey with this club so far. Hopefully we can bring more good memories to those fans that travel to support us.
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“We can only focus one game at a time but we are really excited about where we can go in this tournament. It’s what we all wanted last year. And now it’s here, it’s playing Thursday-Sunday most weeks. It’s difficult on the legs but it’s what we all wanted so we are going to attack the game tomorrow.
“We want to win both games, it’s as simple as that. We know it’s going to be tough here with the atmosphere and the run they are on, but we go into both legs wanting to win.”
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