Nottingham Forest hadn’t had an England player on their books since 1997 when Stuart Pearce used to strut his stuff for the Three Lions but now things have changed.
Morgan Gibbs-White broke that trend by stepping off the bench for 13 minutes in Dublin yesterday as England defeated the Republic of Ireland 2-0.
The 24-year-old ended a long wait for an England cap when he stepped off the bench for the final stages of the game at the Aviva Stadium.
Gibbs-White came on in his usual number 10 position replacing Jack Grealish and didn’t disappoint when he did get on the pitch.
Morgan Gibbs-White rating for England vs Republic of Ireland
The Forest player became the first player since 1997 to represent England with Stuart Pearce pulling on the England shirt on that occasion.
Gibbs-White might have only played for 13 minutes last night but it’s fair to say that he was in fine form when he did enter the fray.
He was given a 7/10 for his performance by The Guardian, who wrote: “Mesmerising pass with the outside of the book on his debut.”
England face Finland on Tuesday night and Forest star Gibbs-White will be pushing for a starting berth after his efforts in Ireland last night.
Gibbs-White can go all the way and become an England regular
The talented attacker is a quality player and for Forest fans, it was a proud moment yesterday.
The Reds have come a long way in a short space of time and ultimately it’s madness to see the club have regular England internationals.
Gibbs-White deserves every ounce of success that comes his way and the hope now will be that he can start for his country on Tuesday.
If he doesn’t it’s not the end of the world and he showcased yesterday that he can still make an impact from the bench.
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