Morgan Gibbs-White has reiterated that he was indeed a Manchester United fan as a child.
When put on the spot regarding the Lionel Messi/Cristiano Ronaldo debate by Sky Sports recently, the Nottingham Forest talisman revealed that his allegiances lie with the former Red.
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What did Gibbs-White have to say about Ronaldo?
“The GOAT? Cristiano Ronaldo. What he’s done for the game is obviously incredible,” the England international told Sky.
“I’d possibly say he’s the best player to ever grace football. You can debate on both, but I think it’s always personal preference when it comes to those two, and supporting United growing up as a kid, obviously, I prefer Ronaldo.”
"The best player to ever grace football."
Morgan Gibbs-White says Cristiano Ronaldo is the GOAT 🐐 pic.twitter.com/d4i5dj0oZH
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 22, 2025
It comes amid INEOS shortlisting Gibbs-White ahead of a major midfield shake-up at Old Trafford this summer.
Casemiro will be leaving as a free agent in June when his contract expires, while it’s highly anticipated that United will cut ties with the out-of-favour Manuel Ugarte before his value drops even more.
Why United have set their sights on a Gibbs-White swoop
In turn, reinforcements will be necessary, even more so if Michael Carrick succeeds in his task of securing the side’s Champions League spot for 2026/2027.
Gibbs-White has spent the last three-and-a-half years at the City Ground following his then-club-record £42.5 million move from Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2022.
He originally put pen to paper on a five-year deal to keep him tied to the Trees until the summer of 2027.
Then, when Tottenham Hotspur became aware of his cut-price £60m release clause and activated it last July, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis personally intervened to prevent the transfer from materialising, going as far as threatening Spurs with legal action for approaching Gibbs-White without permission.
The 26-year-old eventually honoured Forest’s pleas to stay put and was rewarded with a lucrative three-year extension.
| Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Minutes played |
| Forest | 135 | 25 | 30 | 11,451 |
| Wolves | 48 | 1 | 1 | 1,373 |
However, it’s thought Gibbs-White’s terms still contain a release clause, which is likely why United are sizing up a pursuit when 2025/2026 draws to a close.
When Manchester City began sounding out a potential deal in April 2025, they were quoted a fee of £100m by the East Midlands outfit.
Nottingham Forest have slapped a whopping £100million price tag on Morgan Gibbs-White. 😳💰
Sounded out as a potential Kevin De Bruyne replacement at Man City, Pep Guardiola's men are no strangers to splashing the cash on transfer targets. 🤑
Do you think that price tag is… pic.twitter.com/lq75T2vSei
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) April 11, 2025
