Nottingham Forest star Jesse Lingard has heaped praise on Morgan Gibbs-White ahead of a return to domestic action on Wednesday night. Lingard has been discussing his teammate’s quality in an interview with The Athletic.
Gibbs-White was withdrawn early doors during Friday’s 2-1 win over Valencia. Some robust tackles had left the player somewhat prone to injury and Steve Cooper wasn’t prepared to risk his club-record signing.
Prior to the World Cup, the 22-year-old has started to get into his full stride. He scored in games against Brentford and Crystal Palace, with the Reds claiming a very decent four points from those two fixtures.
Lingard has struck up a nice partnership with Gibbs-White. The pair have taken some time to blossom at Forest but it’s fair to say that both players will be integral to the form of the team this season.
The ex-Manchester United man was 30 last week. There is some life left in the player yet though and Forest should start to see the best of Lingard once things get back underway this week.
He had some kind words for Gibbs-White and told The Athletic: “I think we hit it off straight away. He is such an intelligent player and understands the game.
“Having a connection with him was really easy, from that get-go. You have to understand a player’s game; how they like to do things – the runs they will make. I have got my first goal now and I do feel that there are more to come, definitely.”
Lingard heaped praise on Gibbs-White
The Reds need to kick on after the World Cup break. Although their form was good prior to the tournament getting underway, there is still work to do in the quest to get up the Premier League table.
Lingard and Gibbs-White will both be integral to the club’s fortunes. The pair are exciting and in terms of Lingard, his experience could prove vital as Forest aim to kick themselves to safety.
Gibbs-White was Cooper’s number one transfer priority from the moment they won promotion. He has worked with the attacker before in the England under-17 setup and also during a loan with Swansea.
Lingard is clearly a big fan of the youngster. He has signed a long-term contract with the Reds and he looks like being an exciting player for Forest over the next couple of years.
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