Ivan Toney: Can England ignore Brentford striker's penalty perfection?

Ivan Toney has ne'er missed a punishment for Brentford

Ivan Toney continued his electrifying signifier with a treble successful Brentford's 2-0 triumph implicit Brighton - truthful tin England spend to permission him out?

That takes him up to 55 goals successful 100 games since joining Brentford from Peterborough successful 2020.

But much pressingly, helium is level connected Premier League goals with England's first-choice striker Harry Kane connected 8 this season.

Only Manchester City improvement Erling Haaland, with 15, has more.

Across 2022, lone Kane (21) and Son Heung-min (18) person scored much Premier League goals than Toney's 15.

Add to that, Toney has ne'er missed a Premier League penalty, admitting portion of his occurrence is reasoning of the "beach and cocktails".

Now, is determination immoderate crushed Gareth Southgate could bash with a bully penalty-taker erstwhile helium is naming his World Cup squad adjacent month?

'I deliberation astir being connected a formation with a cocktail'

Toney, 26, spent the bulk of his vocation successful the Football League until Brentford's promotion successful 2021.

If helium does play successful Qatar, it would beryllium his planetary debut astatine immoderate property level. He was successful England's squad for their caller Nations League games but did not play.

"I spot myself astatine the top, I spot myself arsenic the champion subordinate connected the pitch. You person to person that mentality," helium said aft the triumph implicit Brighton.

"I'm conscionable trying to bash the champion I tin for the squad and if it's capable to get connected the level to the World Cup past truthful beryllium it.

"All I tin bash is bash my occupation and past hopefully it is enough. If I get to the World Cup past hopefully I'll get immoderate minutes there."

Brentford manager Thomas Frank said: "I deliberation he's getting person and person [to being alongside world-class strikers].

"If you privation to make a apical scorer past they request to beryllium technically precise bully truthful the mode helium tin link with the ball, near foot, close foot, the free-kick against Leeds, the chip, he's truthful bully technically. He's conscionable got that quality astir him arsenic well."

The Dane added that if helium was England manager, helium would beryllium successful his World Cup squad. "It's up to Gareth to take but Ivan has thing peculiar not galore have," helium said.

"It would beryllium a large happening if helium got the archetypal cap, that would beryllium amazing. It would beryllium the archetypal clip successful 80 years for this club.

"I americium biased but I deliberation helium is simply a cleanable acceptable for the squad if you privation that flexibility for the squad."

Toney's punishment grounds is singular - scoring 25 of his 26 vocation efforts. His lone nonaccomplishment has been successful Peterborough's 4-0 League One decision by Barnsley successful 2018 erstwhile Adam Davies saved his kick.

For Brentford helium has scored each 20, including 8 successful the Premier League. Only 2 players person taken much spot-kicks successful the contention without missing - Yaya Toure and Dimitar Berbatov.

"I don't adjacent cognize wherever I americium going until I footwear the shot for the penalties," admitted Toney. "The keeper tries to springiness it the speech but I conscionable locomotion away, deliberation of antithetic things, similar being connected a formation with a cocktail."

Last November, little than 4 months aft Toney was an established Premier League player, Frank called him the champion penalty-taker successful the world.

"I'm gladsome I said it precise early," said Frank. "He's backing maine up. Looking past the record, I spot coolness, method and strategy."

If Toney does spell to Qatar it volition headdress a singular emergence for a subordinate who started disconnected for Northampton successful League Two earlier a determination to Newcastle, wherever helium made conscionable 2 Premier League appearances.

He had indebtedness spells with Barnsley, Shrewsbury, Scunthorpe and Wigan, earlier joining Peterborough connected a imperishable woody and past Brentford.

"It is OK having bully coaches but if the subordinate doesn't perceive oregon has the incorrect cognition helium has nary chance," erstwhile Premier League striker Dion Dublin said connected BBC Radio 5 Live. "Toney indispensable person said to himself 'I request to instrumentality connected committee each this information'."

Can Southgate disregard him?

Ex-England planetary Dublin thinks that Toney could not lone spell to Qatar, but besides commencement for the Three Lions.

Bar Kane, Toney has comfortably outscored all his rivals for a centre-forward slot - Roma's Tammy Abraham, Newcastle's Callum Wilson and Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

"Right present helium could rather easy commencement for England," Dublin told BBC Radio 5 Live. "Defenders would fearfulness playing against him due to the fact that helium is uncovering ways of scoring that others aren't. When you are successful signifier similar that, conscionable springiness him the ball."

England person lone ever won 1 World Cup shootout, against Colombia successful 2018, and mislaid the Euro 2020 last connected spot-kicks to Italy.

On Sky Sports, Jamie Carragher - who missed successful England's punishment shootout nonaccomplishment to Portugal successful 2006 - said: "Is his punishment grounds a crushed connected its ain to instrumentality him to Qatar?

"That grounds is perfectly astonishing. You cognize it is simply a extremity earlier helium takes the penalty. It's each successful the eyes.

"If England are to bash good successful the World Cup they volition astir apt request to triumph a punishment shootout. Toney is not a atrocious subordinate to person available.

"I don't spot a large array of strikers pushing Harry Kane. That punishment grounds has to springiness him a stronger crushed than radical helium is battling. He has to go."

Another erstwhile England defender successful Gary Neville said: "I played successful 8 tournaments and was knocked retired with 5 punishment shootouts.

"To not person him determination would beryllium a large risk."

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