Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White has backed England interim head coach Lee Carsley to get the full-time job, saying it “suits him perfectly”.
Gibbs-White is one of four new faces called into Carsley’s first squad for the Nations Leagues games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland, alongside Noni Madueke, Tino Livramento and Angel Gomes.
The 24-year-old midfielder has worked with Carsley in England’s age group teams and was part of the side that won the Under-21 European Championship in Georgia in June 2023.
“I know how he works, he’s a great manager tactically, man-management is great,” Gibbs-White said.
“I was buzzing when I found out that he got the job as he really deserved it and I feel like it suits him perfectly. Hopefully the games go well for him and you never know what the future holds.”
Gibbs-White, along with fellow first-time call-up Gomes, also won the Under-17 World Cup in 2017 and believes “a winning mentality and winning trophies at youth level” can help him succeed in the senior squad.
“I’d say I’m experienced in that sense and that’s what I’ll try and bring to this group,” Gibbs-White said.
Forest’s talisman has a lot of attacking talent with which to compete at senior England level, but Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer, who can all play in a similar ‘number 10’ position to Gibbs-White, have all pulled out of the squad.
“[It’s] unfortunate they can’t be here,” Gibbs-White added.
“I’ve waited for this opportunity for so long, I’m going to try and take it with both hands and hopefully secure my spot here.
“They’re probably three of the best players in the world right now, so being behind them is a good and a bad thing.”
Despite the competition that he faces to become an England regular, the Forest captain did not doubt whether he would eventually receive a call-up.
“Before you get the actual text, you get a message to say that you were on the long list,” Gibbs-White said.
“I’ve been getting that message since the Euro U21s, since we won that, so about a year and a half I’ve been getting that message. Then it was waiting to get called up.”
Chelsea winger Madueke is another Under-21 graduate to get his first call-up and described Carsley as a “great person,” with “a lot of human qualities”, as well as a “a great tactician”.
The 22-year-old told BBC Radio 5 Live: “He has great ideas and he is also able to implement the way he wants to play, like in your mind and make it easy for you.
“I feel as though all of the top managers have that.
”Definitely I couldn’t speak more highly of him. I feel as though he is a great manager, I feel as though he knows the pathway, he knows the system.
“He knows the FA, he has been working at the FA for a long time.
“[He is] similar to Gareth [Southgate] in that sense, so I hope he can do extremely well.
“I have got all the belief in him for sure.”
Manchester City‘s Rico Lewis spoke about Carsley’s “exciting football”, having also played under him at Under-21 level.
The 19-year-old defender has one senior cap for England but missed out on Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad.
He said: “That is the intention, to dominate and control the whole game and with that comes a lot of exciting work. Also, controlling the game when we have not got the ball, as well.
“I like the attacking side of the game as well as the defensive, but it is attacking for everyone.”
