Nottingham Forest winger Morgan Gibbs-White left a family holiday in Dubai after just two hours following an emergency call-up to the England national team.
The 26-year-old had travelled to the United Arab Emirates with his fiancee Britney De Villiers and their two children after being omitted from manager Thomas Tuchel's initial squad selection.
However, Gibbs-White was summoned to return to international duty after five squad members withdrew from the national setup.
De Villiers shared a video of the sudden departure with her 615,000 TikTok followers.
The clip showed the couple lip-syncing to the song Gotta Go My Own Way from High School Musical 2 as Gibbs-White prepared to leave their hotel room.
Carrying his suitcase, the winger ended the video by waving goodbye and mouthing the line, "I've gotta leave but I'll miss you."
Emergency call-up for international fixtures
Gibbs-White and James Garner have stepped up to replace Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Tino Livramento after all five players pulled out of national service.
The emergency inclusion represents a major opportunity for Gibbs-White, who was omitted from England's World Cup squad but now has a chance to prove himself during an unprecedented three-week international break.
England will face Spain, Czechia and Croatia during the upcoming international window.
Gibbs-White has earned six caps for England, with all of his international appearances coming off the bench.
His last match for his country came in October 2025 during a fixture against Wales.
At club level, the forward has made a reasonable start to the season for Nottingham Forest, scoring once and setting up two goals in the Premier League.
Squad withdrawals and physical load management
The series of withdrawals has left Thomas Tuchel managing multiple injury concerns across his squad.
Declan Rice played the full match during Arsenal's 3-0 defeat by Brighton on Saturday, but the midfielder has pulled out of the squad to manage his physical load.
Chelsea sources indicated that Cole Palmer is dealing with a muscular injury.
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick confirmed that Marcus Rashford suffered an issue following United's weekend draw with Fulham.
Rashford has been battling a persistent hip issue since the World Cup, an injury that continues to require careful management.
United team-mate Kobbie Mainoo is also struggling with an issue ahead of the international window.
The 21-year-old was included in England's World Cup squad but did not play a single minute. However, Mainoo has featured in all of United's league games this season and started the last four.
Tino Livramento was forced to pull out of the squad after suffering a calf injury that previously saw him forced out of England's World Cup squad. The Newcastle United defender did not play at the weekend and is yet to start a Premier League match this season.
Managerial comments and squad competition
Manager Thomas Tuchel is scheduled to speak on Friday, when he will offer his assessment of losing five squad members ahead of the international fixtures.
Tuchel had previously cited the intense competition among attacking midfielders as the reason for leaving Gibbs-White out of his original squad.
"It makes no sense to nominate three, four, five No 10s," Tuchel said. "It just does not help anyone."
The German manager had also issued a warning to Palmer prior to his withdrawal, stating that the Chelsea forward had a point to prove.
Tuchel noted that Palmer, who was left at home for the World Cup, needed to step up to keep his shirt and justify his nomination.
"So now it is a new competition," Tuchel said. "Some players, some positions, have more injuries. Some have less injuries."
"Cole has his starts that he always had but he has his numbers back - he has his assists back, he has decisive goals back - so that is why he is in the squad," Tuchel added.
Preparations for upcoming European fixtures
Gibbs-White and Garner will now join up with the squad as England begin preparations for their upcoming trio of international matches.
For Gibbs-White, the sudden flight back from Dubai offers a fresh chance to stake a claim in Tuchel's plans following his absence from recent international squads.
