Nottingham Forest have jetted out to Portugal as part of their pre-season preparations but Morgan Gibbs-White was not in the travelling party.
Gibbs-White not on plane to PortugalIs missing due to private matterWanted by Tottenham this summerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Nuno Espirito Santo's side flew to Portugal on Monday but were without Gibbs-White for the trip. According to John Percy at the , the midfielder was not included "due to a private and personal matter completely unrelated to football" and is expected to link up with his team-mates later in the week.
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Gibbs-White and wife Britney De Villiers are currently expecting their second child together. De Villiers has posted an update on Instagram, revealing she has been coping with a high-risk pregnancy. She wrote: "To all the mamas who are dealing who or have dealt with a high-risk pregnancy, my heart really goes out to you and I want you to know that you're not alone. This has been one of the hardest things I've ever dealt with and I just don't really remember a time I wasn't overwhelmed with stress."
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Gibbs-White's future at Nottingham Forest has been the subject of speculation this summer. Tottenham have triggered the England international's £60 million ($81m) release clause but Forest have refused to sanction the move as they believe Spurs have made an 'illegal approach.' The club had been expected to make an official complaint to the Premier League but are yet to take that step.
WHAT HAS BEEN SAID
Gibbs-White did feature in Nottingham Forest's opening pre-season friendly against Monaco and received a warm reception from fans. Team-mate Ola Aina praised his attitude amid the speculation about his future afterwards. He told Sky Sports: "Morgan is a professional. I don't really know the ins and outs of that, but he was here today, he was playing, training with us, staying fit as normal.At the end of the day we're all professionals. We've got a job to do and that's what Morgan's doing right now, keeping it professional."