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Morgan Gibbs-White question no longer draws 'howls of derision' after Nottingham Forest transfer joy
Will a fit-again Morgan Gibbs-White walk straight back into the Nottingham Forest starting XI?
Such a question would have been met with howls of derision not so long ago. If the Reds had been without the 24-year-old for any length of time in the last two seasons, fans could have been forgiven for breaking out in a cold sweat. No Gibbs-White on the team-sheet would have been cause for panic.
After last Friday’s 3-1 thumping of Leicester City, however, Gibbs-White’s absence barely made the cut as a talking point. Back-to-back wins achieved without their key man shows how far Forest have come.
Gibbs-White has been missed, of course; a player of his quality could hardly not be. Whenever he returns from his ankle injury - and it remains to be seen whether that will be against West Ham United on Saturday (3pm kick-off) - it will be a massive boost for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side. And in all likelihood, he will indeed return to the starting line-up once he has fully recovered - after all, he is far too good to be on the bench.
But testament to the depth of quality in this squad is the fact that the Reds have successfully coped without the England international. Losing him has not been the crisis it might once have been.
When Gibbs-White missed last month’s defeat to Fulham due to suspension, Nuno got it wrong. The 4-4-2 experiment failed. But lessons were learned, and against Crystal Palace and Leicester the Portuguese stuck with what had worked and retained Forest’s familiar 4-2-3-1 set-up. Jota Silva might have been hoping to get the nod to start, but it was fellow summer signing Elliot Anderson handed the responsibility of the No 10 position in Gibbs-White's absence.
Anderson has thrived in the role. Gibbs-White will know he has someone very firmly breathing down his neck now - the kind of competition he hasn’t always had at the City Ground. It might even drive him on further.
“I know Morgan Gibbs-White is a very valuable player at Nottingham Forest,” Gary Neville said when on punditry duty for Sky Sports at the King Power Stadium. “But Elliot Anderson is a hell of a player and I think he will take some shifting.”
When Ibrahim Sangare and Danilo both return from long-term injuries, Nuno’s selection headaches are going to be even more pronounced. Hammers loanee James Ward-Prowse didn’t even get on the pitch last week, having to settle for a place on the bench.
Anderson’s versatility makes him an incredibly useful member of the squad, and in the past two games he has shown how good he can be as a 10. At 21, he still has plenty of room for growth and can get even better. Newcastle United might not have had much choice about letting him go, but their sense of regret will no doubt only deepen with each passing game.
The Magpies’ loss has very much been Forest’s gain. How the Reds passed the Gibbs-White absence test is yet further evidence of their excellent summer’s transfer work.
