Morgan Gibbs-White replaces Cole Palmer in England squad with Nottingham Forest captain forced to abandon Dubai holiday

MORGAN GIBBS-WHITE has been called up to the England squad to replace Cole Palmer. The Nottingham Forest star was initially snubbed by Three Lions Thomas Tuchel despite a positive start to the season. Morgan Gibbs-White has been called up to the England squad Credit: Shutterstock Editorial He replaces Cole Palmer, who withdrew due to ‘load management’ Credit: Shutterstock Editorial But after Chelsea’s Palmer pulled out due to “load management”, Tuchel has given Gibbs-White a chance to prove him wrong. The former Wolves man has been forced to cancel a planned trip to Dubai as he now prepares for games against Spain, Croatia and Czechia. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! His partner Britney De Villiers posted pictures of Gibbs-White and his family arriving at the airport before jetting out to the Middle East. She uploaded photos of Gibbs-White carrying his children through the terminal before claiming he had encouraged them to watch golf on the plane. Gibbs-White missed out on England’s World Cup squad this summer, which was a major surprise given he netted 18 goals and assisted seven in all competitions last season. This season he has one goal and two assists and England could benefit from his creativity, especially in the absence of Palmer. Palmer dropped out despite only just winning his place back in the squad under Tuchel. It appears Palmer’s minutes are being carefully managed after playing nearly every minute of the season so far. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK Gibbs-White has been forced to cancel his trip to Dubai after jetting out to the Middle East Credit: Instagram @britneydevilliers He played the entire 90 minutes of Chelsea’s 3-0 loss to Brentford on Friday night. Fans will have been excited to see Palmer back in an England shirt after a promising start to the season with the Blues. He has four goals and two assists in all competitions and has combined well with England team-mate Morgan Rogers. But his shot at redemption for the Three Lions will go on after being left out of Tuchel’s 26-man group for the 2026 World Cup. That snub followed a disappointing 2025-26 campaign for Palmer that saw him score just ten goals and register one assist. It comes after Tuchel warned Palmer he had to earn his recall after being welcomed back into the squad. The German said: “It is one thing to be nominated, like with Cole, and getting your ticket back in the squad but it’s another thing to perform for England. “Cole needs to step up when he comes and he needs to show these kind of numbers to get his place, keep his shirt and justify the nomination. It has also been claimed that Manchester United pair Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo could also pull out of the England squad after suffering issues against Fulham. Rashford started at Craven Cottage but was subbed off for United in the 77th minute, while Mainoo played 80 minutes. When asked about Rashford’s condition, United boss Michael Carrick said: “We had to bring him off as he had a bit of an issue.” Comment now