James McAtee must be ready to save his Nottingham Forest career as Morgan Gibbs-White faces race against time

James McAtee may be set for his biggest opportunity of the season at Nottingham Forest if Morgan Gibbs-White is unable to feature against Aston Villa on Thursday night.

Vitor Pereira’s side face off against their Premier League rivals in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final tie in a matter of days, and they hold a slender one-goal advantage ahead of their trip to Villa Park.

The Reds have been resurgent since the Portuguese’s arrival in the dugout, and they have earned themselves the right to place full focus on the Europa League after a 3-1 win at Chelsea on Monday.

That victory all but secured their place in the top-flight for next season, but also saw Gibbs-White sustain a nasty facial cut following a clash of heads with Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

Forest’s crucial Europa League night is now just around the corner, and Pereira will surely be considering his options to replace Gibbs-White if needs be.

James McAtee most natural fit to replace Morgan Gibbs-White

Forest reverted back to their 4-2-3-1 formation against Chelsea, with McAtee handed a rare start and tasked with cutting in from the left wing to try and hard the opposition.

Gibbs-White has regularly operated in that role of late, while he has also featured in his preferred attacking midfield position, where McAtee is also a natural fit.

Pereira will want to ensure that his team operate in a familiar shape when they go to Villa Park on Thursday, and he is far more likely to take a gamble with his choice of personnel to replace Gibbs-White, rather than by changing system.

With that in mind, McAtee is surely the best fit to replace the England hopeful if needed, which would hand him his biggest chance yet to make a name for himself at Forest.

He has had to bide his time since moving to the City Ground, and has been limited to just two league starts so far this term, but there is a chance that Pereira could tee him up for his best moment on Thursday.

Gibbs-White is seemingly facing a race against time to be fit for the game, and while he has not yet been ruled out of contention, the boss will undoubtedly be weighing up his options.

McAtee now playing for his future at Nottingham Forest

Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider back in March that Forest may cut their losses and accept a bid for McAtee this summer, such has been his lack of impact in the East Midlands.

With that in mind, the 23-year-old is likely to be playing for his future between now and the end of the season, and he is running out of opportunities to prove his worth at his new club.

He has to find a way of convincing the manager and owner, Evangelos Marinakis, that he is worth keeping around for next term, and there is no better chance to do that than in a European semi-final.

With that in mind, he simply must be ready to get the call from the boss on Thursday night if Gibbs-White is unable to start, as it could seal his fate if he performs poorly again.

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