Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad could mean we potentially see Ivan Toney’s long-awaited international debut. The Brentford striker, who scored 12 goals last season in the Bees’ maiden Premier League campaign, has begun the new season in fine form, and his hat-trick against Leeds United demonstrated that he could add something different to the Three Lions’ squad at the World Cup should he be selected.
With Toney competing for places alongside Harry Kane and Tammy Abraham, two strikers that are built similarly and operate as more recognised number nines, game time could be hard to come by. England face Italy and Germany in the Nations League and you feel that if the 26-year-old can make an impression at any point in the camp, he could have an outside chance of making the squad for Qatar.
Since Jamie Vardy retired from international football in 2018, Southgate has only really had Kane as an out-and-out striker at his disposal. Granted, the likes of Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have played there in the past, but Toney represents a genuine goal threat from central positions, and his domestic performances for Brentford have certainly warranted inclusion in the squad.
Indeed, Brentford are hardly a side that will be challenging Premier League odds for the title anytime soon, but Thomas Frank is working wonders to make the west Londoners an established Premier League outfit. Too often the cliché of ‘second-season syndrome’ is tossed around for sides that perhaps overachieved in their first top-flight season. Sheffield United were victim to it a couple of years ago and some of the same inconsistencies plagued Leeds United under Marcelo Bielsa, but Brentford look on course to beat the drop should they continue to keep up the good work, and Toney’s goals will go a long way to making that happen.
In Toney, Brentford have a striker who can cope with the physicality of the league and one who has demonstrated he can make the step up in terms of the technical ability of Premier League football. The 26-year-old actually broke the record for most goals in a season when Brentford came up, scoring 31 Championship goals in 2020-21 before Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrović blew his record out the water. Nonetheless, Toney has matured massively since playing in the top flight and earnt plaudits from his manager for his performances after the news of a potential England debut.
“This is a fantastic day, especially for Ivan but also for everyone at Brentford,” Frank said. “To have someone in the England squad is a huge achievement for everyone at the club.
“To have an English player, at an English club, in the England squad, given the competition for those places, is a moment for us to cherish. It will give everyone a little lift. I am sure he will go into that group and show his qualities in training, and I hope he does enough to get a chance to earn a cap. It will be a top, top day for everyone at Brentford if that happens.”
You wonder if losing Christian Eriksen could hamper Toney’s overall goal return in terms of stats this season. The Danish international, whose brief stint at the Brentford Community Stadium served more of a return to fitness than forging a long-term career with compatriot Frank, was one of Brentford’s best creative outlets in the second half of the season.
Toney’s best goals have come from set-pieces but you wonder if Toney can find the same chemistry with Mikkel Damsgaard and the ever-improving Bryan Mbeumo, that he can stamp his authority on the Premier League’s goalscoring charts and earn a call up to Qatar. With just a few weeks until the World Cup, you feel it’s now or never for Toney to make the England team.
