Sheffield United loan star reveals how Bramall Lane move has benefitted his career
and live on Freeview channel 276
The 22-year-old already has 116 senior appearances under his belt, but 53 of his 66 games for parent club Wolverhampton Wanderers have come from the bench after struggling to command a regular starting place at Molineux.
There is certainly no shame in that, considering Wolves’ recent trajectory towards a place in Europe and the top end of the Premier League, but a loan spell to Bramall Lane has got Gibbs-White fit and firing again.
And, more importantly, smiling.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“It’s benefitted me massively, coming here,” Gibbs-White admitted, ahead of tonight’s crunch Championship clash at home to Blackburn Rovers.
“Being a young player and going from not playing, to getting 10 minutes here and there and then to playing regularly, it’s going to help me grow.
“A few of the [Wolves] staff members keep in contact, to see how I’m getting on and enjoying it. They can see that there’s a smile on my face every time I go on the pitch.
"I’ve always known I had the ability; it’s just having the belief and confidence.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"That can be down low when you’re not playing. It’s just a breath of fresh air when you’re playing, and you want that to keep going.”
An England U21 international, Gibbs-White played four times for Swansea City last season and haunted his old club with two goals and an assist on Saturday in the Blades’ 4-0 win.
United’s form under Paul Heckingbottom led to Gibbs-White labelling the Blades as the “most feared team in the Championship right now”.
Gibbs-White is surely right up there amongst the most feared players in English football’s second tier, and the young man is certainly enjoying the ride.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“From the moment I came in, the boys have been incredible,” he added. “It’s a really good group of boys who are really together, on and off the field.
“Even with Slav [Slavisa Jokanović, Heckingbottom’s predecessor] we had an identity, it just wasn’t coming off.
“Hecky has made us believe again and I think that’s definitely helped the boys push on. Look at the results we’ve had since he came in.”
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.