Is Morgan Gibbs-White injured? Fitness update on Nottingham Forest captain
Nottingham Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White is set to return to action after a brief absence through injury.
Gibbs-White was ever-present in the first six Premier League matches of 2026/27 but suffered a minor injury when Forest faced Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and was forced to sit out of the 1-0 loss to champions Arsenal last weekend.
Former Eagles manager Oliver Glasner has confirmed that Gibbs-White was left out as a precaution and the England midfielder is set to return against Ipswich Town on Friday evening.
Morgan Gibbs-White will be available this weekend
“Of course, when your captain is available, it’s important. It’s someone who can create chances and score goals himself,” Glasner said in his press conference before Friday’s match.
“That’s positive, but I think you could also see that without Morgan Gibbs-White, we had a very competitive team against the champions. This gives us confidence because we lost without Morgan and with Morgan.
“He’s an important part, but he can’t win the game alone, so we need a top team performance, but it’s good to have him back.”
Gibbs-White is Forest’s talisman, a captain who leads by performance and has an undeniable influence on his team’s structure and quality.
He started 35 times in the Premier League last season, scoring 15 times to become one of the most potent attacking midfielders in Europe, and helped his team reach the semi-finals of the Europa League.
Forest boss Glasner also confirmed that central defender Nikola Milenkovic will be available for selection against Ipswich. The Serbian international missed Forest’s matches against Aston Villa, Coventry City and Crystal Palace but was named on the bench against the Gunners.
Igor Jesus and Nicolo Savona have both been ruled out against Ipswich. Jesus could return at the end of October, while Savona’s absence is expected to last for another month.
Forest kick off the Premier League weekend in the bottom three, one point above Sunderland. The win at Villa was their only one of the season so far and they’ve lost their last three.
Losing to Palace is a result that sticks in the craw for Forest now, but running Arsenal close last Sunday suggested better things to come for Glasner’s side.
Friday’s trip to Portman Road is the first test of that. Ipswich have won three of their matches after promotion, two of them on their own turf, and a win for Forest would pull them to within a point of the Tractor Boys.
