Nottingham Forest star responds to Gareth Southgate…

Nottingham Forest star responds to Gareth Southgate snub as England dream set out

Nottingham Forest ace Morgan Gibbs-White is determined to keep working hard to achieve his England dream.

The 23-year-old has enjoyed a terrific first year with the Reds, playing a key role in securing survival and winning the club’s Player of the Season award. He has been closely monitored by Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate but is yet to earn a senior call-up.

There had been plenty of speculation about whether the attacker would make the cut for this month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers, with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher saying he deserved to get the nod. Instead, he was selected for Lee Carsley’s Under-21s and will take part in a training camp ahead of their Euros finals this summer.

Gibbs-White is eager to make the next step up at some point. But he knows he has to keep impressing for Steve Cooper's side and for the Under-21s to get there.

“For any kid growing up, their dream is to play in the Premier League and play for the national team at first-team level,” he said on an episode of Kick Game’s Shopping for Sneakers on YouTube. “I’m just biding my time at the minute.

“I’m still working hard and trying to focus on my game. I’ve got the 21s Euros in the summer, so my full focus is on that at the minute.

“You go there (to St George’s Park) with the 21s and you see the first-team and it’s like, you want to be there so bad. You want to change positions with him just so you can be there. I’m going to keep working on myself, keep working on my goal.”

In addition to backing Gibbs-White to represent his country at senior level, former defender Carragher also named the former Wolverhampton Wanderers man as his signing of the season - arguing Manchester City’s Erling Haaland was out of the equation due to being named best player. The initial £25 million Forest spent on Gibbs-White certainly looks to be money well spent.

“You can’t really compete with Haaland, with what he’s done this season,” the Forest star responded. “But I came into Forest with a job to do, to try to keep us in the Premier League, and we achieved it.

“I’m grateful for what he said. It’s an honour. But there’s still more work to do

“We’ve had lots of ups and downs this season. I wouldn’t say there’s been a particular point of the season where I’ve been like, ‘wow’. It’s probably been the whole of it. I’ve just enjoyed every single moment of it.”

Should Gibbs-White have been included in Southgate's squad? Have your say in the comments below

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