As the 2022/23 season drew to a close, a number of the Forest squad set their eyes on representing their country after cementing Premier League status with The Reds. One of those would be Morgan Gibbs-White who jetted off to the European Under-21 Championships with England in Georgia.
The midfielder played an integral role in helping Forest remain in the top division last term, scoring three goals and registering four assists in the final seven games of the season to round off an impressive first campaign on Trentside.
Gibbs-White’s continued to impress as the Young Lions embarked on their Euros campaign, as Lee Carsley’s side kickstarted the group stages with a 2-0 win over the Czech Republic.
Gibbs-White contributed two assists in England’s second group stage outing in another 2-0 victory, this time over Israel, with a third successive 2-0 victory, this time against Germany, securing a place in the quarter-finals against Portugal.
The Young Lions kept another clean sheet, and Gibbs-White registered yet another assist, as Anthony Gordon’s goal sent England through to the semi-finals of the competition with a 1-0 win.
A second outing against Israel saw Gibbs-White score a goal of his own, bouncing back from missing a penalty to head England into a 1-0 lead, before goals from Cole Palmer and Cameron Archer followed to send the Young Lions into the final.
In a nervy encounter in Spain, Curtis Jones’ goal proved the difference after late penalty save heroics from James Trafford in stoppage time, as England were crowned champions of Europe.
For Gibbs-White, it wasn’t the first time he had tasted success with his country, having won the U17 FIFA World Cup under Steve Cooper in 2017, but to end the competition with more assists to his name than any other player underlined his contribution.
Reflecting on his second tournament win with the Young Lions, he said: “It was a special, surreal moment.
“To go out there for a whole month away from family and friends and stay focused and win every game throughout the whole campaign, it was just a surreal feeling.
“If you look at the team on paper, it’s a team which you think should easily get to the final and win, but what surprised me the most was how together the team really was and how special the group was.
“It was a special feeling for me to play for my country and win a major tournament against some of the best teams in the world.
“It proves a lot for us as a team to go away and show how together we were and go on to win the tournament.”