Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper has raved about Morgan Gibbs-White and thinks he’s on the right path to become an England international.
Eyebrows were raised over the summer when Forest struck a deal to sign Gibbs-White from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
After weeks of rumours, Forest agreed a deal worth £25million rising to a huge £42.5million for the playmaker.
That sounded like a lot, especially when Wolves felt Gibbs-White wasn’t ready for Premier League action and loaned him to Sheffield United last season.
Yet if anybody was convinced about Gibbs-White, it was Forest boss Steve Cooper.
Gibbs-White and Cooper worked together in the England youth setup before joining forces again at Swansea City.
Cooper watched Gibbs-White shine in the Championship last season and was confident that he could become a Premier League star.
Two goals and five assists this season may not sound all that impressive but Gibbs-White has been fantastic for Forest.
The touch, the dribbling, the flair in the final third; Gibbs-White is proving to be well worth the money.
The 23-year-old still has plenty of untapped potential and he will of course be eyeing up England caps in the future.
England should be more than willing to give caps to a talented and unpredictable playmaker, even if Gareth Southgate has an embarrassment of riches.
Cooper has now told The Sunday Mirror (05/03, p70) that he has loved Gibbs-White since first seeing him emerge at Wolves.
The Forest boss called Gibbs-White ‘vibrant’ and ‘natural’ on the ball, noting that he always wants to make things happen.
Cooper added that Gibbs-White is on the right path for England honours, branding him ‘explosive ‘ and a player with ‘high potential’.
“I believed in Morgan from the first day I saw him play for Wolves,” said Cooper. “His football personality is vibrant, it’s natural, it’s something he’s always had. He always wants to make a difference and get on the ball. What we have been working on is to bring him and who he is into the Premier League.”
“I don’t think a young player gets in a Premier League team and stays there. They can do brilliantly and fade away or take a while and be up and down. Morgs has probably been all of those things this season. But he’s a player of high potential. He’s explosive and technically very good. He’s on the right path,” he added.