Jeff Stelling ‘demands Thomas Tuchel explanation’ after Gibbs-White omission
Morgan Gibbs-White’s stellar form at Nottingham Forest this season is yet to be rewarded by Thomas Tuchel for England.
Gibbs-White has been the fulcrum of Forest’s meteoric rise up the Premier League table this term, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side sitting third and well on course to seal an historic Champions League place.
Forest’s number 10 made his England debut in September off the back of his displays at the City Ground in 2024–25, but has only appeared once since and clearly isn’t at the forefront of Tuchel’s thoughts.
The German overlooked Gibbs-White in his maiden squad selection only to call upon him following Cole Palmer’s withdrawal, but that’s as good as the international break has got for the Forest talisman.
Tuchel blasted by Jeff Stelling as Gibbs-White explanation needed
Tuchel’s England reign has got off to the perfect start; the Three Lions recording 2-0 and 3-0 victories over Albania and Latvia respectively at Wembley to kick-start their World Cup qualification campaign.
| Player | Appearances | Starts | Goals | Assists | Yellow/Red Cards |
| Morgan Gibbs-White | 27 | 25 | 5 | 7 | 6/1 |
Despite being uber-comfortable in both games, however, the German refrained from making many changes, with just four alterations to the starting XI against Latvia, and Gibbs-White not getting a sniff.
The 24-year-old and fellow attacker Dominic Solanke not featuring whatsoever in either match drew plenty of criticism, with Jeff Stelling demanding an explanation of Tuchel’s reasoning.
Posting on X (24 March), Stelling said: “So Thomas Tuchel; two wins out of two.
“But please explain – and I am not a [Nottingham] Forest fan – why Morgan Gibbs-White got zero minutes. Ditto Dominic Solanke?”
So Thomas Tuchel. Two wins out of two . But please explain – and I am not a Forest fan – why Morgan Gibbs White got zero minutes. Ditto Dominic Solanke ?
— Jeff Stelling (@JeffStelling) March 24, 2025
Morgan Gibbs-White can’t do much more to earn England place
With just nine Premier League games remaining this season, Forest are third with a six-point cushion in the Champions League spots, leaving the Tricky Trees well on course to return to Europe’s top level.
Gibbs-White’s contribution to the Reds’ rise up the table has been seismic, with five goals and seven assists in his 25 starts, and only top scorer Chris Wood having produced more direct contributions.
Wood’s potency, however, is in large part thanks to the creativity provided by those behind him, and with Harry Kane being a striker of a similar physicality and mould, Gibbs-White could be a perfect foil for him.
Tuchel still has over a year to whittle down his preferred squad ahead of next season’s World Cup, but it remains to be seen how much further Forest must progress in order for Gibbs-White to get a look-in.