Leaving Gibbs-White out ‘a big call’
[Getty Images] The team on BBC Radio Nottingham’s Shut Up And Show More Football podcast have been chatting in-depth about England boss Thomas Tuchel's decision to omit Morgan Gibbs-White from his World Cup squad. "It is a big call. I've got to admit, I'm surprised," said Colin Fray.
"Gibbs-White has struggled to get into some of Thomas Tuchel's squads since he has been around but I just thought he's a head coach, a manager, who talks about picking players on form, not just because they are big names, and I don't think he could do any more than what he done. "His form over the last few weeks, couple of months, three months, has been absolutely outstanding - probably the best of any English player around, certainly in an attacking sense, so I don't think he could have done any more. " Gibbs-White has scored 14 Premier League goals this season, level with Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.
"Given how well he has been playing - given his goal contributions, given the form or lack of and the minutes or lack of of some of the players that he's effectively vying for positions with - I thought Thomas Tuchel might find a place for him," Fray continued. "The other thing is, that he can be versatile. He can play in the number 10 role but he can also play, as we have seen to great effect at Forest over recent weeks, off the left-hand side, so he can offer you cover in two positions within your squad.
"There are all sorts of reasons why I would certainly have thought that Tuchel would have chosen him in his squad. He hasn't, it could come back to bite him - or he could be sitting there with a World Cup trophy for the first time in 60 years by the end of July and smiling and saying: ’There you go, I told you so. '" Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.
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