Brentford striker Ivan Toney is expected to be left out of Gareth Southgate’s 26-man England squad that will fly out to Qatar for the World Cup this month.
In all competitions for the Bees this season, Toney has bagged nine goals and three assists under Thomas Frank with Brentford sitting in mid-table.
Just last week, a story broke that Toney is being investigated by the FA over allegations that he gambled on football over the last seven months however it is unclear whether this had any impact on Southgate’s decision.
No Ivan Toney. https://t.co/MiSlfAPYdz
— Sami Mokbel (@SamiMokbel81_DM) November 10, 2022
Callum Wilson is expected to be called up alongside a return to the squad for Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, but the official announcement is not until 2pm today.
Roma’s Tammy Abraham also looks to have a missed out on a seat on the plane alongside Fikayo Tomori, Marc Guehi and Jarrod Bowen.
Toney, 26, received his first England call-up in September for Nations League fixtures against Italy and Germany, but didn’t feature off the bench.
The Northampton-born forward is a renowned spot-kick expert and one of the Premier League’s biggest goal threats from a set piece – something Southgate could find handy in a penalty shootout.
However, it appears to be disappointment for Toney and his family with Brentford fans taking to Twitter to express their concerns over his absence.
Ivan Toney is not in the England squad. When we inevitably get to a penalty shootout we’ll be relying on Saka, Sancho & Rashford again then. Such a silly move by Southgate. Chances are 3/4 players won’t get any minutes at all. So why not bring a penalty specialist? Ludicrous 😤🤦🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/wzb6VwweID
— The72 – We Love the #EFL (@_The72) November 10, 2022
Projected 26-man England World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal), Nick Pope (Newcastle United)
Defenders: John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Ben White (Arsenal), Conor Coady (Everton), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa)
Midfielders: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), James Maddison (Leicester City), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Callum Wilson (Newcastle United)
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