Morgan Gibbs-White’s partner has issued a pointed reminder of the Nottingham Forest captain’s impressive form after Thomas Tuchel left him out of England’s latest squad.
Britney De Villiers highlighted one of the midfielder’s statistics on Instagram following the announcement of Tuchel’s 27-man group for the three-week international break.
The post noted that Gibbs-White is the only player to have created more than five chances in a single Premier League match this season.
Her message arrived after the 26-year-old was again overlooked by Tuchel despite beginning the domestic campaign strongly for Forest.
Gibbs-White faces fierce competition for England’s No 10 role, with Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Eberechi Eze all selected ahead of him.
Tuchel defended that decision at Wembley Wembley on Friday, arguing that it “makes no sense” to include more than three players who operate in the same position.
The German nevertheless acknowledged Gibbs-White’s form and insisted the midfielder remains under consideration.
“We can see the form Morgan is in and he ended the season very strongly and was the key player for Forest to not be relegated,” Tuchel said.
Morgan Gibbs-White’s partner has issued a pointed reminder of the Nottingham Forest captain’s impressive form after Thomas Tuchel left him out of England’s latest squad
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Britney De Villiers/INSTAGRAM
“We can see him stepping up now.”
Gibbs-White’s latest omission comes after he was controversially left out of England’s World Cup squad during the summer.
That decision attracted attention because the Forest playmaker had finished the previous Premier League season as the leading English scorer.
Despite those numbers, Tuchel opted to take other attacking midfielders as England mounted a run to the World Cup semi-finals.
Morgan Gibbs-White has been in impressive form for Nottingham Forest so far this season
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GETTY
The manager has made clear that earning a nomination is only the beginning, with selected players then required to justify their inclusion through performances during camp.
De Villiers did not directly criticise Tuchel in her Instagram post, but the timing of the statistic ensured it was widely interpreted as a response to her partner’s continued England absence.
She is not the first relative of an omitted player to make her feelings known following 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.
Harry Maguire was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad back in the summer
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“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”.
