‘Incredible’ Tuchel helped Gibbs-White over England upset

Morgan Gibbs-White says Thomas Tuchel has been "incredible" with England's players - even though the midfielder was upset when the new head coach initially left him on the sidelines.

Nottingham Forest's Gibbs-White was told by Tuchel that he would not be selected for England's opening 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

But following an injury to Chelsea's Cole Palmer on Sunday, Tuchel contacted Gibbs-White and he was called up for the games against Albania and Latvia after all.

"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 told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"There was no question there. I was smiling from ear to ear. I am delighted."

That is a stark contrast to how Gibbs-White felt when the 25-year-old initially missed out.

He has helped Forest to third place in the Premier League table and believed he had done enough to earn England recognition.

"I was upset, a little bit disappointed, but at the same time you always have to look at the quality of players England have," Gibbs-White 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'."

Tuchel reached out to several England players before they came together for the games at Wembley on 21 and 24 March.

They included Gibbs-White, who was hoping to earn a recall after winning his first two caps under interim boss Lee Carsley last September and November.

"To be fair, [Tuchel] has been incredible," Gibbs-White said. "I think he has done [that] with most of the players.

"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."

Gibbs-White was part of Tuchel's first training session on Monday, in which the former Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain boss spelled out what he wants from his players.

"He is really intense and that is the first thing I took from it," said Gibbs-White.

"I believe when you know someone knows what he wants, you believe in it as well.

"That intensity to show that he is not just here for a jolly, he is here to win, that was really nice to see."

Morgan Gibbs-White has been instrumental for Nottingham Forest during the 2024-2025 Premier League season. In 25 appearances, he has netted 5 goals and provided 7 assists, contributing to 12 goal involvements. This performance places him among the league's top assist providers.

What do you think of Thomas Tuchel's leadership style and his communication with players like Morgan Gibbs-White?