MORGAN GIBBSWHITE

CLUB WOLVES POSITION MIDFIELDER Value £25m Age 19 Foot Right Height 1.78m Nation England

THE STORY SO FAR: Born up the road in Stafford, and a Wolves player since he was eight, Gibbs-white has long had the tag of the academy’s brightest talent. The dynamic midfielder made his first-team debut in an FA Cup win over Stoke in January 2017 and later that year won the Under-17 World Cup with England, starting every game from the last eight onwards and scoring in the final against Spain. He excels in one-on-one situations and shows impressive confidence in taking on defenders at every opportunity. That was demonstrated on his first Premier League start, against Chelsea in the autumn: deployed as a wide forward in Nuno Espirito Santo’s 3-4-3, he set up Raul Jimenez’s goal in Wolves’ 2-1 win. IDOLISED: “Growing up, my idol was Paul Scholes,” said Gibbs-white last November. “It was just the way he kept things ticking in midfield and could pick out a pass from anywhere.” The Wolves starlet is more athletic than Scholes (right), so if he could in time add a sprinkling of the former Manchester United pass master’s consistency and goal threat, he could be quite the player. LINKED WITH: The usual cornucopia of youngster-loving Premier League big boys, primarily Spurs and Liverpool. For his part, all Gibbs-white wants to do is establish himself in Wolves’ first team. “I believe I’m ready, but it’s all about the timing,” the 19-year-old has said. “I’ve got Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves in front of me. I have to bide my time.” Gareth Southgate is also a big fan, so a senior international call-up may not be so far away. SOCIAL MEDIA: Gibbs-white tweets from the heart. “The best mentor I could have wished for,” he wrote after the death of Cyrille Regis, the former West Bromwich Albion forward who had also acted as his agent. “He helped me in so many ways and gave me the best advice.” HE SAID: “I’m learning ridiculous amounts every day in training, not just on the pitch but off the pitch, too. It almost gives you goosebumps to hear your name being sung. I’m living my dreams.” THEY SAID: “Morgan is one of the best generations of English players for a long time,” said Nuno after the starlet’s first Premier League start. “He is a reality of the fantastic job England are doing.”