Stuart Pearce hailed Morgan Gibbs-White for making Nottingham Forest history and following in his storied England footsteps.

Gibbs-White, 24, became the first Forest player since Pearce to receive a Three Lions call-up as he was included in interim boss Lee Carsley's first squad for Nations League clashes against Ireland and Finland.

The attacking midfielder was part of the Steve Cooper-managed side that grabbed Under-17 World Cup glory in India back in 2017 before catapulting himself into senior contention with an eye-catching couple of seasons at the City Ground.

That included netting the winner away at Southampton before the international break to help the former Wolves star, who has racked up 11 Premier League goals and 18 assists for the Reds, emulate the exploits of Pearce and become the first current Forest player to earn an England call-up since 1997.

Former Three Lions skipper and Forest legend Pearce, 62, has loved watching Gibbs-White flourish and now hopes he can translate that domestic form onto the international stage in the injury-enforced absence of Jude Bellingham.

"To have a player in the England squad again, it's going back quite a few years to my time," said Pearce, speaking as an ambassador of Pitching In around their Volunteer of the Season Award.

"We had me, Neil Webb, Des Walker and three or four of us in the England squad.

"Someone sent me something the other day saying he's the first England player since me in 1997!

"For the club, it's fantastic kudos and just shows where they are going again.

"He's won things with England before, so I'm absolutely delighted - I've obviously got links with the club but he's certainly a talent.

"And in an area of the pitch with no Jude Bellingham in this squad, he'll play in a similar type of position."

Carsley's newly-inherited side travel to Dublin this weekend for their first game since agonisingly losing to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.

The Three Lions will lock horns with both Ireland and Finland - at Wembley - as they get their Nations League campaign underway.

Former England Under-21 boss Carsley, 50, will be in the temporary hotseat after Gareth Southgate 's departure following a second consecutive run to the European final in Germany.

Stuart Pearce And he has opted for a mix of youth and experience in his squad, recalling both Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire since the pair missed out on the Euro 2024 squad but handing maiden call-ups to Gibbs-White, Angel Gomes, Tino Livramento and Noni Madueke.

Pearce, who earned 78 caps and helped England reach both the Italia 90 World Cup and Euro 96 semi-finals, added: "It's an interesting time for Lee Carsley - he's got six games to have a tilt at it and audition to see if it suits him and he suits the job.

"He's put a few youngsters in, which is a real good thing. We've got to build for the next two years now, which he is doing.

"I think the big thing for England is having as many options as humanly possible - players go in and out and drop out of form, just like we saw with Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford before the Euros.

"You need players to fill the void if that is the case."

Ladbrokes, with the support of its owner Entain, has launched a multi-million-pound investment programme, Pitching In, designed to support and promote grassroots sports. For more details see: https://www.entaingroup.com/sustainability-esg/entain-foundation/pitching-in/ and to find volunteering opportunities near you, see: pitchinginvolunteers.co.uk