Kenny Hibbitt backs Wolves' Morgan Gibbs-White to grow after England U21 bow

Playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White made his bow for Aidy Boothroyd’s Young Lions as they ended the tournament with a 3-3 draw against Croatia in San Marino.

The 19-year-old, from Stafford, came on in the 73rd minute of a game where England gave up the lead three times to finish third in their group and winless.

And while he may have dreamed of debuting in better circumstances on Monday night, it is another feather in the cap of a star on the rise.

Now, the onus is on Gibbs-White to push on for both club and country.

Wolves legend Kenny Hibbitt, who was capped once at England U23 level, believes he will too.

“I think Morgan has got a great future ahead of him as he is very talented,” said Hibbitt, who made more than 450 appearances in a 16-year spell at Molineux.

“I like his confidence. He likes to run with the ball, take players on and he does not panic. He has got great vision. All the signs are good.”

Gibbs-White, who won the Under-17s World Cup with England in 2017, has made 46 league appearances for Wolves. The majority of them have come under Nuno Espirito Santo – 26 being in the Premier League last term as Wolves sealed a place in the Europa League qualifiers by finishing seventh.

And Hibbitt praised Nuno, who also regularly picked Portuguese youngster Ruben Vinagre last campaign, for giving the teenager the opportunities to impress.

“What I like about Nuno is he’s not afraid about giving youngsters the opportunities to play and learn,” added Hibbitt

“Morgan has work to do, of course, but that comes with more experience, and I reckon everyone should keep an eye on him next season. It’s gone well so far, and they’re managing him probably as well as they can.”