Morgan Gibbs-White is set to replace Cole Palmer in the England squad after the Chelsea midfielder is withdrawing from the team.
Palmer reportedly sustained a minor injury after playing the full 90 minutes against Brentford on Friday night.
Nottingham Forest captain Gibbs-White missed out on the initial selection, with Thomas Tuchel admitting he was very close to making the squad.
The German said on Friday: “It makes no sense to nominate three, four, five, number 10s. It just does not help anyone.
“We can see the form that Morgan is in, and he ended the season very, very strongly and was the key player for Forest to not be relegated. We can see him stepping up now.
“It is one thing to be nominated, by the way, like with Cole and getting your ticket back in the squad.
“But it’s another thing to perform for England, and this also counts.
“So especially also Cole needs to step up when he comes and needs to show these kind of numbers and these kind of performances to get his place, to keep his shirt and to justify the nomination.”
Morgan Gibbs-White has been called up to the England squad
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PAFollowing the squad announcement, Gibbs-White’s partner hit out at the England boss, noting his impressive form.
Britney De Villiers highlighted one of the midfielder’s statistics, feeling her boyfriend should have made the initial squad.
The post noted Gibbs-White is the only player to have created more than five chances in a single Premier League match this season.
Gibbs-White faces fierce competition for England’s No 10 role, with Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Eberechi Eze all initially selected ahead of him.
Thomas Tuchel previously praised Gibbs-White for his form but did not select the midfielder
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REUTERSDe Villiers is not the first partner of an omitted player to speak out after a major Tuchel selection call.
Harry Maguire’s family expressed their anger after the Manchester United defender was excluded from England’s World Cup squad.
Maguire admitted he had been left “shocked and gutted” and believed his club form had put him in a strong position to contribute for his country.
“I was confident I could of played a major part this summer for my country after the season I’ve had,” Maguire wrote.
Gibbs-White’s partner previously shared a message on social media showing her boyfriend’s impressive form after Tuchel’s initial omission
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BRITNEYDEVILLIERS/INSTAGRAM
“I’ve loved nothing more than putting that shirt on and representing my country over the years. I wish the players all the best this summer.”
His mother, Zoe, responded by declaring herself “absolutely disgusted” and branded the decision “disgraceful”.
Maguire’s brothers also joined the backlash.
Joe described the omission as “the worst decision I’ve ever seen”, while Laurence labelled it a “shambles”.
