For a time at Nottingham Forest, Morgan Gibbs-White was seen as a player who was underperforming and had no chance of playing for England. But as he has matured, the midfielder’s reputation has changed. and he is now playing at his best.
Gibbs-White has never lacked promise at any point in his career. He went from shining for England in the Under-17s World Cup in India in 2017 and scoring in the final of the tournament to sealing a big-money move to Forest from Wolves in the summer of 2022.
A period of instability at Forest during the Steve Cooper era impacted everyone – from Gibbs-White to even established players like Remo Freuler and Joe Worrall. Not everyone who suffered stayed at the club, but Gibbs-White has now emerged as a key player and after a period of ups and downs, is becoming a vital performer under Nuno Espírito Santo.
Gibbs-White is thriving
Nuno certainly knows Gibbs-White well from his time at Wolves and even though he didn’t quite make excellent use of the Englishman, this familiarity has come in handy for the England international.
The improvement in the 24-year-old’s performances goes back to last season, when he contributed to 16 goals across all competitions, recording the the best individual season of his career from a statistical viewpoint.
A majority of those contributions came under Nuno, who handed him a leadership role in the squad, and made him feel like a very valued member of the starting XI.
Gibbs-White has just one goal in the 2024/25 campaign so far and while that obviously isn’t a big number by any means, there is now a feeling that the midfielder is truly becoming a irreplaceable part of the club. His influence extends beyond what he does on the pitch and he commands authority.
How is it happening?
Last season, Gibbs-White would operate across the pitch even while playing in the attacking midfield role. Nuno’s arrival made him optimise his actions and presence on the pitch and he is now found far more often on the left, popping up in the half-space quite a lot.
The Portuguese manager’s style of play has been very transition based since his time at Wolves and it gives attacking players a lot of room and space on the break. Gibbs-White has taken advantage of that perfectly.
The Tricky Trees are third-bottom in the Premier League for average possession and that says everything about their approach, which relies on staying deep and compact, then breaking by using the skillset of nifty players to attack space.
They are also eleventh for touches inside the opposition box, per 90 minutes, showing that they rely heavily on efficiency rather than high volume shooting or dribbling. They just have to make the most of the ball they get.
In that setup, it is sometimes more important to keep possession flowing forward quickly than actually create. That is the role Gibbs-White has taken on this season.
He is thriving on keeping play ticking over and that has just brought his numbers to a lower level than last season. In the 2023/24 campaign, he was much more involved in the final third and made things happen in the box.
He was assisting way more often last season and was allowed to get into positions that made him create chances for his teammates – be it through crosses or threaded balls beyond defensive lines.
He isn’t the fanciest of dribblers out there, but Gibbs-White combines a workman-like approach with the ability to pick the right passes and keep play moving forwards. That can be used in different setups and it is also vital to note that Forest do have wide players who boast pace, reducing the load on the ex-Wolves man to be that crafty 1v1 player.
He beats a midfield’s press with his passing accuracy and has this natural ability to turn past them with ease, making Forest a constant threat on the break.
The former Under-17s World Cup winner has also come leaps and bounds defensively this season, adding another tool to his arsenal that will definitely come in handy for the future.
A blessing for England?
In many ways, Gibbs-White belongs to a very modern generation of English midfielders who are multi-faceted and technically blessed. Unlike a profile such as Kalvin Phillips, he offers so much more across the pitch and can also operate in multiple setups.
He, along with Angel Gomes, played under Lee Carsley in the Under-17s setup and that has played a role in their recent call-ups. But both of them possess the ability which definitely raises the technical ceiling of any future England XI and helps them break down those defences that play deep.
The Forest man still has a long way to go and as Thomas Tuchel prepares to take over the Three Lions in the coming weeks, Gibbs-White will have to impress over the course of these next two international games to make a space for himself in the German’s side.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every Nottingham Forest and England game on FotMob – with deep stats, xG, and players ratings. Download the free app here.