In May he was snubbed by Thomas Tuchel for England's World Cup squad and responded by scoring against Bournemouth on the final day. He celebrated by pointing to his chest and holding up both hands, in a nod to the number 10 shirt he wears - a clear statement to Tuchel. This season he has continued his form, scoring a penalty in Forest's 2-2 draw at Liverpool on Saturday after assisting Dan Ndoye's opener.
The captain is Forest's talisman, especially after Elliot Anderson's record sale to Manchester City and, with England facing upcoming Nations League games against Spain, Croatia and the Czech Republic, the noise could get too loud for the England manager to ignore this time. With new boss Oliver Glasner looking to him for inspiration, will this be a career-defining season for Gibbs-White? On Saturday Forest host Tottenham, a team Gibbs-White came close to joining last year.
The fallout led to Forest threatening to take legal action against Spurs as owner Evangelos Marinakis personally took charge of the situation, meeting Gibbs-White at the club's training camp in Portugal and convincing him to stay - reaching a general agreement over a new contract. He signed a new three-year deal days later and went on to score a career-best 18 goals in all competitions last season. His goal at Tottenham in March was crucial in Forest's 3-0 win, giving them the platform to survive and keeping Spurs sweating on their top-flight status until the final day.
Now, without Anderson following his £116m departure to the Etihad, the spotlight will continue to land on Gibbs-White. Glasner said in August his star was never leaving the club once it was clear Anderson was. The number 10 role is his, with Glasner handing James McAtee a deeper role following Anderson's exit - the former Manchester City youngster able to control Forest's tempo, allowing Gibbs-White to roam and threaten further forward.
"There was never a tiny question mark about it. It was complete commitment and alignment that Morgan stays here, also from his side," said the former Crystal Palace head coach. "I have always seen him as a top player, a player who can make the difference, a player who can create chances and score himself.
It's something he's showed since day one. He is very professional, very hard-working. He looks like an Adonis - just muscles.
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