Having walked off to a standing ovation, Morgan Gibbs-White faced a nervy final few minutes on the touchline.
By the end, he was crouched on the ground, waiting for the whistle to blow; waiting for confirmation that he had scored a Nottingham Forest winner. As soon as it came, he leapt up, embraced Jesse Lingard and joined his teammate in doing a little dance on the pitch before the pair ran off to join in the celebrations.
Gibbs-White was always Steve Cooper’s top target during the summer transfer window. The Reds splashed out an initial £25 million to secure his services from Wolverhampton Wanderers. And he is beginning to show why the head coach made clinching his signature such a priority.
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Season so far
Becoming Forest’s record signing could have weighed heavily on Gibbs-White’s shoulders. But he has shown few signs of that. Cooper teased several weeks ago that there was little chance of the 22-year-old feeling the burden because he was aware of the actual figures involved, as opposed to some of the more substantial ones which have done the rounds.
Much like the Reds as a whole, it has taken a little while for Gibbs-White to really get going. In recent weeks, however, he has begun to stamp his influence on games.
It’s always been clear he has bags of talent and skill. He’s already shown that countless times with some classy touches and an ability to unnerve defenders. In the same way Forest have grown into the season, though, so the attacker has started to make his mark.
He signed off with goals in successive Premier League outings. The first was an outstanding solo strike against Brentford - a heck of a way to open his account in the Garibaldi.
He had to wait a while to discover whether the second counted. Initially, his rebounded effort against Crystal Palace had been ruled out for offside. But, after a lengthy VAR delay, he was eventually able to crack out the celebratory knee-slide.
"The number 10 has been my favourite since I was a little kid and this is the first time I've managed to wear it in my career, so I can't wait to showcase it now,” Gibbs-White said after he had put pen to paper, back in August. He’s certainly beginning to do that.
Special relationship
Cooper and Gibbs-White go some way back. They won the Under-17s World Cup together in 2017, with the manager saying he had identified the player’s potential even then.
The pair then reunited at Swansea City, where Gibbs-White had a loan spell. And the connection clearly counted for a lot when fighting off competition from elsewhere during the summer.
“I have a fantastic relationship with the head coach and I believe that Forest is the perfect place for a fresh start and a new challenge,” the former Wolves man said when he signed.
For his part, Cooper has said: “Obviously I have some personal history with him, with the national team and with Swansea. That helps, that’s important, but neither of us will take that for granted.
“This is a different club and a new challenge for us both. We’re all part of the greater good and the collective.
“It does help that we know each other. And it’s not just me, some of the staff were with me at Swansea and England, and he knows a couple of the guys already.
“He doesn’t need his hand holding, like none of these new guys do. They fit in straight away.
“We know his quality. We know what his worth will be to us this season and beyond, and we want to utilise that as best we can.”
Cooper is a terrific man-manager. Gibbs-White will know that, and he’ll know he has a boss who is capable of getting the best out of him.
More to come
Getting his first goals for Forest should act as a huge confidence booster for the summer signing. He now has a platform to push on from.
And given he is such a young age, there is plenty more room for development. He will only continue to get even better. That potential was another key factor behind the Reds being so keen to sign him, with his eagerness to learn and improve tied into that. He is known to be an enthusiastic trainer who is interested in how to develop.
"It's definitely his level,” Cooper said after the Palace win. “Everyone knows who Morgan is. Me and him have spoken thoroughly about how this is the first time he has played regular Premier League football. Training in the week, knowing he's likely to play at the weekend - it's a different mindset, and also knowing he needs to perform.
"For him to score two in two now, and to play as he is, is good. He knows what I think of him, although I do need to push him hard.”
Selection dilemmas
Finding a system which suits the attacking options at his disposal has been a challenge for Cooper, and it has taken a while to get there. Given both Gibbs-White and Lingard shone in a no.10/false nine role in separate games, it was tempting to argue the duo were fighting for one spot.
The Forest head coach thought otherwise, however. Lingard, Gibbs-White and Brennan Johnson all started against Crystal Palace, and it was a combination which worked to good effect.
Whether the Reds can play without a recognised striker all the time - particularly away from home - is a different matter, though. In that instance, it seems unlikely the above trio would all make the starting XI as well.
Who gets the nod for the first league game back, at Manchester United, is a tough one to call. Given he was flying before the break and on a scoring streak, it would be difficult to leave Gibbs-White out. But either way, there is a feeling that this is just the start for the youngster.
What have you made of Gibbs-White so far? Have your say in the comments below
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