By Paul Jones
Morgan Gibbs-White has been backed to follow in the footsteps of Rhian Brewster and Conor Gallagher and bring some Premier League sparkle on loan at Swansea City.
Despite the weekend setback of the Swans’ humbling 2-0 defeat at Newport County in the first round of the Carabao Cup, Swans boss Steve Cooper believes Gibbs-White – his loan signing from Wolves – can hit the ground running when the Championship starts on Saturday.
But the Wolves tyro has been told there is no guarantee he will cut the mustard in the Championship despite the midfielder dropping down from Premier League level.
Gibbs-White burst on to the scene at Molineux in the 2018/19 campaign but only made 16 appearances for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men last season.
Wolves boss Nuno has sent the 20-year-old on loan to south Wales for the next 12 months in a bid to help him rediscover his form.
And Swansea head coach Cooper is hoping he can provide a similar impact to the one Brewster and Gallagher delivered for him last term.
“On the basis he works and plays as hard, we can offer Morgan games,” said Cooper.
“He needs that and I think when the supporters see him at his best they’ll be pleased with what he brings. We’d like to think Morgan’s time here can be similar to Conor’s and Rhian’s last season. “That’s the plan with him, but it’s not a guarantee and he has to go and make it happen.
“We’ve got to provide him with the best service possible and if we do that I think he can have a really good impact for us as he’s a very good player.”
Brewster scored 11 goals in 22 games for Swansea in the second half of last season while Gallagher also impressed in his 21 matches.
The pair were arguably the club’s best performers in the period after the season’s re-start but both players are now back with parent clubs Liverpool and Chelsea, with Gibbs-White charged with filling their boots.
Cooper will be hoping his team, including Gibbs-White, make far more of an impact at Preston in their opening league fixture on Saturday, than they managed in defeat at Rodney Parade.
The man who guided the club into the play-offs last season was unimpressed and gave a blunt assessment of his own players’ failings and the urgent need for improvement.
“No excuses,” he admitted. “I know we’re only a couple of weeks in, but we’re not going to make any excuses, we were second best.
If you can’t beat them, join them. https://t.co/nD9mwnZriZ
— Rhys Dave (@1Rhys_Dave) September 7, 2020
“Every day we work on making sure there is good intensity and a good attitude to our work and there normally is with the players.
“I think it is something we are going to have to talk to them about to try and get a better understanding of why we weren’t winning duels, why Newport were running more than us, why we weren’t picking up enough second balls, why we weren’t making enough passes – all the things that are required to win a football match.”