Nottingham Forest Trio Must Stay Focused To Earn England Call-Up, Nuno Espirito Santo Advises

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Nuno Espirito Santo has emphasised the need for Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Elliot Anderson to continue their impressive performances to secure a spot in England's national team. Despite their contributions in a 4-2 victory over Ipswich Town, none were selected for Thomas Tuchel's first Three Lions squad. Gibbs-White, who previously earned caps under Lee Carsley, was notably absent this time.

In the match against Ipswich, Gibbs-White was instrumental, creating more chances than any teammate and assisting Jota Silva. His performance marked his 40th Premier League goal involvement for Forest, surpassing Bryan Roy's record. Only Ian Woan has more combined goals and assists for the club in the league. Meanwhile, Hudson-Odoi has contributed seven goal involvements this season.

A pivotal six-minute period in the first half saw Nikola Milenkovic and Anthony Elanga score, giving Forest control of the game. Silva added another goal between strikes from Ipswich's Jens Cajuste and George Hirst. Nuno noted that capitalising on Ipswich's imbalance was crucial to securing the win. He stressed the importance of scoring a fourth goal to seal the victory.

Despite Ipswich's efforts, they remain winless in 2025 across England's top four tiers. Their Premier League status is threatened as they trail Wolves by nine points after Wolves' 2-1 win over Southampton. Kieran McKenna acknowledged the challenge but remained hopeful about avoiding relegation.

Elliot Anderson excelled with accurate passes and duels won during the match against Ipswich. Nuno praised his players' focus and humility, believing their talent will eventually earn them national team recognition. "What they have to do is what they did today - work and play good," he stated.

Nuno expressed confidence that Tuchel would consider these players for future selections due to their abilities. He refrained from discussing selection decisions with them, trusting their understanding of football dynamics.

McKenna highlighted upcoming matches after the international break as crucial opportunities for Ipswich to gain points. He urged his team to remain determined until the season concludes, despite acknowledging the dwindling number of games left to secure safety.

The defeat against Forest compounded Ipswich's challenges as they struggle at the bottom of the table. McKenna remains focused on improving results quickly to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.