Wolves comment: Will Morgan Gibbs-White be a shining light?

Nuno Espirito Santo has never been afraid to place his trust in youth, and his faith was repaid as Wolves, despite having both Bruno Jordao and Meritan Shabani stretchered off, got past Reading in the Carabao Cup, on penalties.

It was a night – after Wolves under-21s’ outstanding 4-2 Leasing.com Trophy triumph up at Carlisle – that shone a light on the club’s youth set-up, with Taylor Perry and Luke Cundle coming off the bench.

But Morgan Gibbs-White, it is fair to say, although Rob Edwards recently hailed him as the ‘beacon for the academy’, did not have his best game.

He began quite brightly but was taken off for Shabani, who cruelly pulled up with a severe knee injury only a matter of minutes later.

And in the game’s aftermath, opinion did seem split over the Stafford-born midfielder.

Some feel he will become a star in gold and black, while others are not so convinced about his long-term potential.

Personally, I still think it is too early to cast judgment on the playmaker.

Even though he has made 61 first-team appearances across all competitions, only 19 of those have been from the off.

Speaking about Gibbs-White at yesterday’s Compton press conference, Nuno said: “The plan for Morgan is the same as it is for every player – make him better.

“Morgan has been with us since the Championship. He’s 100 per cent.

"He has had good moments, not so good moments, but he’s always with us, we’re trying to help him become better. The talent is there, so let’s work on that.”

An accurate assessment, it must be said, and you cannot deny Gibbs-White is a talented boy. However, these next several months are certainly of great importance.

As while it is currently too soon to say what lies ahead for him, the end of this season could well be an appropriate time to assess whether a loan move and regular football as a starter would be beneficial.

It will mark three full terms under Nuno’s tutelage, and four in the first-team picture.

At 19, Gibbs-White is not going to regularly be grabbing games by the scruff of the neck and standing out. There is an air of inconsistency to his game, as there often is with young players.

In the same breath, though, it was fair enough to expect him to have a greater impact against the Royals’ second string.

Having broken into England’s under-21 side earlier this year, Gibbs-White is clearly doing something right.

Hopefully, this local lad will defy the doubters and thrive as Wolves aim to become a top-flight heavyweight.