On Saturday, Forest welcome Tottenham — the club Gibbs-White nearly joined last year.
That saga escalated to the point where Forest threatened legal action against Spurs. Owner Evangelos Marinakis took control, flew to the team’s Portugal camp to meet Gibbs-White, and persuaded him to remain, with a broad agreement on fresh terms.
He signed a new three-year contract a few days later and delivered a career-best 18 goals across all competitions last season.
His strike at Tottenham in March set up a 3-0 victory that proved pivotal for Forest’s survival and left Spurs uneasy about their own top-flight fate until the final day.
With Anderson now gone to Manchester City in a £116m move, the focus on Gibbs-White only intensifies.
Glasner said in August there was never any chance of Gibbs-White leaving once Anderson’s exit became clear.
The No. 10 role belongs to him. Glasner has dropped James McAtee into a deeper position since Anderson’s departure, with the former Manchester City youngster dictating tempo and freeing Gibbs-White to drift and attack higher up.
“There was never any doubt — everyone was fully aligned that Morgan would stay, and he was too,” said the ex-Crystal Palace boss.
“I’ve always viewed him as an elite difference-maker who can both create and finish. He’s ultra-professional, incredibly hard-working, and physically imposing.
“He has complete freedom in the final third, and he’s delivering exactly what I expected — a fantastic player and a great person.”
Gibbs-White had the license to score 10 times in his final 15 games last season, though it still wasn’t enough for a World Cup call-up.
Glasner has urged the 26-year-old to park any international concerns.
“In the end, overthinking it doesn’t help. The better he plays, the better his career will be — for club or for England.
“If you perform and do things the right way, you get picked. Every manager selects the best players, and if you’re among them, you’ll be called.
“It’s the same for Morgan. He caught fire from March with 10 goals late on, but for seven or eight months before that he didn’t score as often. For him, it’s about sustaining that level week after week.”