Morgan Gibbs-White believes Lee Carsley has the tactical and man-management smarts to secure the England manager’s job on a full-time basis. The Nottingham Forest attacking midfielder knows Carsley well from playing under him at under-21 level with England, a relationship that began in November 2021.
Carsley gave Gibbs-White 15 of his 18 under-21 caps and relied on him in the No 10 role during the team’s European Championship victory in the summer of last year.
Carsley has given Gibbs-White a first senior call-up as he prepares for his opening game in interim charge against Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Saturday. England then face Finland at Wembley on Tuesday. Carsley is set to remain in the role for the October and November international windows and strong performances could lead to his appointment as the permanent successor to Gareth Southgate.
“I know how he works,” Gibbs-White said. “He’s great tactically and as a man-manager and I was buzzing when I heard he’d got the job. I felt he really deserves it and it suits him perfectly.
“Hopefully these games work out well for him and then you never know what the future holds. He’s told me to be myself, express myself – that’s the reason why I got the call-up.”
Gibbs-White had a storied England youth career, having been a part of Steve Cooper’s under-17 World Cup-winning team in 2017. Angel Gomes and Emile Smith Rowe are the other players to have won that tournament and the under-21 Euros, with Carsley also naming Gomes in his senior squad.
“In terms of having a winning mentality at age-group level, winning trophies, winning tournaments … hopefully that is something I can bring to this squad,” Gibbs-White said.
Gibbs-White, the first Forest player called up by England since Stuart Pearce in 1997, knows his chance of making his debut at some point over the next week has increased because of the absences of Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden. The first two are injured; Foden has been ill.
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“They are probably three of the best players in the world so to be behind them is a good and a bad thing,” Gibbs-White said. “I need to concentrate on doing what I do best and hopefully the opportunity will come.”