An England international would add life to the Manchester City midfield | OneFootball

We have previously seen David Ornstein report for the Athletic that Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White is a potential summer target for Manchester City. The England international has been a key player in Forest’s rise this season. Initially, my first reaction was is the England international a good fit for Pep Guardiola’s squad? But on closer inspection, you can see exactly what Gibbs-White could bring to Manchester City if they did sign him this summer.

This summer will be one of upheaval at Manchester City. They simply have to rebuild Pep Guardiola’s squad and it’s something they appear determined to do. Kevin De Bruyne will leave the club at the end of this season. Bernardo Silva, Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan, Jack Grealish, John Stones and others futures at the Etihad appear uncertain. In the case of Grealish and Stones, if they were to leave, City would need to sign a homegrown player or two to replace them. Morgan Gibbs-White could fill that void. But take his homegrown status out of the equation Gibbs-White would add attributes to Manchester City’s midfield that they are screaming out for.

Morgan Gibbs-White is a powerful runner from midfield, and his ability to cover the pitch would be a welcome addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad.

First of all, Gibbs-White is a powerful runner from midfield. The clip below demonstrates this. That athleticism and power to Gibbs-White’s game would be a welcome addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad. We have seen teams at times this season run City off the pitch. Especially in midfield. I expect City to add players of this ilk to their midfield in the summer. But as the clip below demonstrates Gibbs-White has exceptional technical ability. So, while he is powerful and athletic, he has the technical ability to play for Pep Guardiola. That’s the type of midfielder I believe would be a massive addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad. One blessed with the athleticism to cover the pitch and the technical ability to play when City have possession would be ideal. Gibbs-White does tick that box.

Nottingham Forest typically sits back and looks to hit teams on the counter. That’s not the way Pep Guardiola sets up his team to play. Gibbs-White has arguably been Forest’s best player this season. So often, he starts their counterattacks, and he has the quality to pick out an incisive pass or drift forward himself. We saw how adept Gibbs-White is technically when he played the decisive ball in Nottingham Forest’s 1-nil win over Manchester City at the City Ground in March. The clip below also shows that he is adept on both feet. Although Gibbs-White isn’t a prolific goal-scorer from midfield he can score important goals. That is another attribute that would be a welcome addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad.

Summary.

When David Ornstein first broke the news that Manchester City were interested in signing Morgan Gibbs-White, I was sceptical that he’d fit into Pep Guardiola’s squad. Based on how Nuno Espirito Santo’s side plays it is the polar opposite of how Manchester City typically play. But you can see how Gibbs-White could fit into the City squad based on his technical ability and physical attributes. So when you investigate further you can see that while Manchester City signing Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest likely wouldn’t be cheap, he’d be a quality addition to the City squad.