Morgan Gibbs-White sends message to Sheffield United after England U21 man makes Wolves return

The England U21 international was named United’s player of the year after scoring 12 goals and registering 10 assists, helping Paul Heckingbottom’s men to the semi-finals of the Championship play-offs.

In a cruel twist of fate Gibbs-White’s final touch as a Blades player was a missed penalty in the shootout defeat to Nottingham Forest, but that did nothing to dampen his popularity amongst a fanbase who really took the youngster to their hearts during his time in South Yorkshire.

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Their faint hopes of keeping him at Bramall Lane were effectively ended when United were consigned to another year of Championship football, but the respect they have for the Wolves forward – who recommended United to Tommy Doyle when the chance of a move to South Yorkshire first materialised for the Manchester City midfielder - is clearly reciprocated.

Describing his time at United as his best season so far, Gibbs-White told WolvesTV: “For me I just wanted to go there and get games and get experience under my belt. Luckily enough I had a really good season. I contributed goals and assists and I was really happy with my performances when I was out there.

“Fair play to the manager there [Paul Heckingbottom] and all the players, because they helped me reach that. It’s a great group of lads there and I wish them all the best this season. It was a good experience and good to get games under my belt.”

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Gibbs-White returned to Wolves in a summer filled with speculation about a move away, with Everton reportedly seeing a bid for the 22-year-old rejected earlier this month.

Wolves are said to be keen to keep the academy graduate at Molineux, with the man himself admitting his aim is to prove to Wolves boss Bruno Lage “why I should be here and why I want to play every week”.

“I felt like I matured as a player, developed and got stronger,” Gibbs-White added of his time at Bramall Lane, which also saw him win the young player of the year award.

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“I know the game so much more now. It was definitely my best campaign. Just because of the goals I scored, the assists. I just feel like the momentum is still there since I’ve been back, so I just can’t wait for the friendly games to come now.

“I think I’ve matured as a player massively, on and off the field. Knowing when to recover, what foods to eat properly, it really does make a difference when you’re playing every week. I really knuckled down on that in the last season, and just getting game time.

“It really gives you that experience that you need, knowing where the spaces are in games and finishing in front of crowds. I feel like that’s definitely improved my finishing. So I’m just looking to take it into next season.”

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