Sean Dyche backs Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White to regain England spot

Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche says there is no reason why Morgan Gibbs-White cannot get back into the England squad.

Gibbs-White was left of Thomas Tuchel’s group for next week’s World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania, but he responded in style with a goal in Forest’s 3-1 win over Leeds on Sunday.

The midfielder’s second-half header helped end Forest’s nine-game winless streak in the league as they secured three points for the first time under Dyche.

“He did well to get in it,” head coach Dyche said of his captain, who has scored three goals in the last five games. “People forget that. People say, ‘Oh well, he must be really disappointed’, but he got in it.

“So it doesn’t mean he can’t get in it again.

“Getting himself back to the basics of what he does, that energy, I call it infectious – the on-pitch presence and being infectious around the group and then going and relaxing and scoring goals.

“He’s had unfair question marks, and fairly or unfairly is irrelevant. We all know what makes a story.

“So therefore the story is out there. I said to him, ‘Don’t worry about what’s gone, just keep working and enjoy what we’re doing’.

“Three in five is a pretty decent marker, he missed a penalty the other night (against Sturm Graz in Europa League). If he scores that it’s four in five and all of a sudden everyone’s talking about him.

“But he’s a good player. I want him to get in the air. I want him to go to score goals. I want him to enjoy what he’s doing.”

Leeds boss Daniel Farke is coming under increasing pressure after a fourth loss in five games.

They went ahead through Lukas Nmecha, but the lead lasted just two minutes as Ibrahim Sangare levelled.

Gibbs-White’s 68th-minute header put Forest ahead, with Elliot Anderson’s late penalty sealing the win.

Farke insists his side remain on course to beat the drop.

“I judge our season so far, we have 11 games, we have 11 points,” he said. “It’s a point average that we need to stay in this league.

“We were not on one game-day under the line, so never in the relegation zone. This is also good… could have been better if we would have won a few more points.

“In my dream version, we are never in danger. We cruise easily always with several points ahead.

“Yes, right now, it’s all a bit tighter, but it’s nothing. We are not panicking, anyhow.

“What the outside world is thinking or wants to think, we can’t influence that much.

“We are quite calm. We know we what we have to do better.”