Thomas Tuchel calls up snubbed star to England squad after furious reaction
Thomas Tuchel has added Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White to his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia, with Cole Palmer injured
by Felix Keith · The MirrorNottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White has been called up to the England squad by Thomas Tuchel.
Gibbs-White was missing from Tuchel's initial 26-man squad, but has made the cut for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia on March 21 and 24 respectively. He has effectively replaced Cole Palmer, who missed Chelsea's 1-0 defeat by Arsenal through injury on Sunday, although the Three Lions have not yet announced his absence.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca made it clear that Palmer would not be available for England in the international break. Asked if the playmaker could feature, he said: “I don’t think so. We never wish for players to get injured but in Cole’s case in this moment it will give him some rest physically and mentally so it could be good. He needs a scan and it is planned for Monday.”
The call-up for Gibbs-White is reward for his stunning form for Forest, who sit third in the Premier League following their 4-2 win over Ipswich on Saturday. His omission from Tuchel's first England squad caused a backlash on Friday, with fans and pundits bemused by the call.
The 25-year-old has five goals and seven assists in 25 Premier League appearances for Forest so far this season. He made his senior England debut in August 2024 after being called up by interim boss Lee Carsley and has earned two caps so far. He will now join up with the squad at St George's Park on Monday.
After starring in the win over Ipswich, Gibbs-White received some praise from the Premier League's record goalscorer Alan Shearer, who questioned Tuchel's decision to overlook him.
"He is very, very unlucky not to be in the England squad, when you look at other players who are, when you look at his performances this season," Shearer said on Match of the Day.
"He's been one of the outstanding players Nottingham Forest. But if keeps on playing the way he is, and there's no doubt that he can do, he'll be in the England squad in the future. I've got no doubt about it."
Gibbs-White will compete with Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze, Declan Rice, Curtis Jones and Jordan Henderson for a starting berth in Tuchel's midfield. Tuchel was asked about the absences of Gibbs-White and his team-mates Elliot Anderson and Callum Hudson-Odoi on Friday.
He said: "I see Elliot Anderson as a No8, Morgan as a No10 and Callum as a winger. If you look at our squad you can also see they have huge competition on their position - world-class players who have proved themselves on the same level as Nottingham Forest, who have proved themselves in international football and even Champions League. They know it. They accept it. It is never easy to bring this message.”
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