Gibbs-White 'smiling from ear to ear' after England call-up despite earlier snub
Morgan Gibbs-White was called up to the England squad as a replacement for the injured Cole Palmer, and was effusive about the new manager.
Morgan Gibbs-White has been full of praise for new England manager Thomas Tuchel, saying that he had been "incredible" with the players, despite having initially been left out of the squad.
Gibbs-White was called up as a replacement for the injured Cole Palmer, though he was originally upset at being left out of the squad.
"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 said when speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live.
"There was no question there. I was smiling from ear to ear. I am delighted."
The 25-year-old has scored five league goals this season and contributed seven assists while helping Nottingham Forest to third in the Premier League.
As a result of his form, the earlier snub for the national team had been a tough one to take for the Forest man, who believed he had done enough for a spot in the squad.
"I was upset, a little bit disappointed, but at the same time you always have to look at the quality of players England have," he 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'."
Midfielder @Morgangibbs27 has been added to the #ThreeLions squad and will report to St. George's Park alongside the rest of the group tomorrow...
— England (@England) March 16, 2025
In spite of their earlier disagreement, Gibbs-White could not have spoken more highly of new England boss Tuchel.
"To be fair, [Tuchel] has been incredible. I think he has done [that] with most of the players," he said.
"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."
Tuchel made it clear what he wanted from his players in his first training session as England manager on Monday, which is something that Gibbs-White and the team appreciated.
"He is really intense and that is the first thing I took from it. I believe when you know someone knows what he wants, you believe in it as well," he said.
"That intensity to show that he is not just here for a jolly, he is here to win, that was really nice to see."