10 hours ago
5
Morgan Gibbs-White says Thomas Tuchel has been "incredible" with England's players - even though the midfielder was upset when the new head coach initially left him on the sidelines.
Nottingham Forest's Gibbs-White was told by Tuchel that he would not be selected for England's opening 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
But following an injury to Chelsea's Cole Palmer on Sunday, Tuchel contacted Gibbs-White and he was called up for the games against Albania and Latvia after all.
"He phoned me up and said 'Are you still upset with me, or do you want to join us, and fancy training with us tomorrow?'," Gibbs-White told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"There was no question there. I was smiling from ear to ear. I am delighted."
That is a stark contrast to how Gibbs-White felt when the 25-year-old initially missed out.
He has helped Forest to third place in the Premier League table and believed he had done enough to earn England recognition.
"I was upset, a little bit disappointed, but at the same time you always have to look at the quality of players England have," Gibbs-White said.
"I took that into consideration, but when he told me, I respected his decision.
"I said to him 'I think I have done enough to get the call-up considering the club form that we are in, but you are the manager, you make the decisions, and I will respect that'."
Tuchel reached out to several England players before they came together for the games at Wembley on 21 and 24 March.
They included Gibbs-White, who was hoping to earn a recall after winning his first two caps under interim boss Lee Carsley last September and November.
"To be fair, [Tuchel] has been incredible," Gibbs-White said. "I think he has done [that] with most of the players.
"I think as soon as he got the job he has been in contact with the majority of the players. He is a really easy-going sort of guy, nice to speak to.
"I felt it was top from him, really good starting that relationship with us before even meeting us."
Gibbs-White was part of Tuchel's first training session on Monday, in which the former Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain boss spelled out want he wants from his players.
"He is really intense and that is the first thing I took from it," said Gibbs-White.
"I believe when you know someone knows what he wants, you believe in it as well.
"That intensity to show that he is not just here for a jolly, he is here to win, that was really nice to see."
Tuesday marked exactly 12 months since Nottingham Forest were deducted four points for a breach of the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
That dropped them into the relegation zone, but they ultimately finished 17th, one place and six points above the bottom three.
Now they are just four points behind second-placed Arsenal and on course to qualify for next season's Champions League.
"When you put it like that, it's a remarkable year," said Gibbs-White. "Just to see where we have come from, from this time last year, is incredible.
"I think the Forest fans deserve that the most. Getting back into the Premier League was one thing.
"Scrambling in relegation for the two years we were in the Premier League obviously wasn't nice. It wasn't enjoyable, but now we have given the fans something to cheer about."
Gibbs-White has been Forest's captain for most of the season, claiming five league goals and seven assists, and feels he is in "the best form I have ever been in".
"Coming here [with England] with that confidence, that level of football at the minute, I feel as though I am in a really good place," he said.
"[I'm] really proud. Walking out at the City Ground every week, I do get goosebumps."
To float the idea of Forest flying so high would have been hard to believe 12 months ago.
"I would have snapped your hand off. I'd have thought you were talking rubbish," Gibbs-White said.
"Funny thing is, in pre-season we had that belief that we could do something this season. Did we think to this level? Probably not, but we felt that we could achieve something decent this season.
"With the pre-season we had under the manager [Nuno Espirito Santo], because he really implemented his ideas, and his man management and his belief into the players, he really got to know everyone individually and I think that is what has helped us massively.
"We work so hard, day in and day out, to achieve these sorts of goals and you know everyone is just in a good place at the minute.
"The morale is high and the vibe is very high."
