It seems unlikely Ivan Toney will take this for granted.
The striker is starting the World Cup third-place match for England, and while the English squad will be disappointed to be playing in the match, it’s a chance for Toney to start over a resting Harry Kane.
It didn’t always seem like he’d get back to this point.
He received a suspension in May of 2023 for 232 breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules following a 20-goal season for Brentford.
It is worth noting that Thomas Tuchel had called up Toney multiple times since his return from that ban.
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Toney was in the squad for the 2024 European Championships, when he assisted on a Harry Kane winner in extra time in the Round of 16. He also made his penalty when England advanced past Switzerland in a shootout.
Toney has been playing in the Saudi Pro League, and scoring goals there. That’s what earned him the call-up from Thomas Tuchel for the World Cup.
England doesn’t really have obvious secondary striker options beyond Kane, and so Kane was the man in all the matches before England took a semifinal loss.
But now, Toney gets a chance. It may not be glamorous, but it’s notable anyway.
Whether or not he gets a goal, he returned to start in the World Cup. That’s quite the comeback.
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