Vitor Pereira to pray for Morgan Gibbs-White return as Nottingham Forest star loves to haunt Man United

Morgan Gibbs-White appears to be a not-so-secret weapon as Nottingham Forest ready to take on Manchester United.

While the Reds are unable to do a repeat from last season, having claimed a Premier League double over their upcoming opponents, at least a draw this time would extend the run to four games unbeaten.

Despite being knocked out of the Europa League semi-finals, Vitor Pereira’s side have lost just one of their last 12 games in all competitions, so they’ll have more than enough confidence at Old Trafford.

While Gibbs-White has been sidelined with a facial injury, there is every chance that he could return on Sunday, 17 May, and his previous record would suggest that he’s very much needed for the game.

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Although the 26-year-old has lost seven of his 12 meetings with the Red Devils across games with Wolves and Forest, he has won three of the last four and remains unbeaten in that time.

He also boasts three goals and two assists, all of which have come from the start of the 2023-24 campaign. In short, Gibbs-White is not a player that United want to be messing with.

Of course, he faces a race against time for his facial scarring to heal, having missed both the Aston Villa and Newcastle United games, but Forest fans will be hopeful.

Michael Carrick’s side won’t go down easy, though. They are currently unbeaten in four matches, and with the desire to finish the season on a high, the Reds will want a result this weekend.

Pereira’s stars appear to be dropping like flies towards the end of the season, especially with Callum Hudson-Odoi, Nicolo Savona and John Victor out until the end of the season.

Speaking ahead of the Newcastle game, he said: “I cannot answer because I don’t know. I don’t know about Morgan, I don’t know about Ola. Callum is finished this season.

“I don’t know about Murillo, and I think Dan (Ndoye) might be ready to come back.”

Sangare’s return would also come as a huge boost, given Forest’s record with and without him in the starting lineup, and somebody will need to go toe-to-toe with Casemiro in the middle of the park.

The result likely centres around Gibbs-White’s availability, however. Forest supporters will be waiting patiently for the managing to speak about the player, undoubtedly.

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