Ivan Toney has been called up by England for their upcoming European Championship qualifiers as a reward for becoming the Premier League’s third-leading scorer, with a possible suspension for apparently multiple gambling violations.
This is the second time the Brentford striker has been called up by England. The first came ahead of the Nations League qualifiers in September, but he did not feature and failed to make the squad for the World Cup a few weeks later.
Toney has scored 16 league goals for Brentford this season – only Arling Haaland and England striker Harry Kane have more – but his future has been clouded after being charged with 262 Football Association gambling breaches dating back to 2017.
Sections of the British media reported this month that Toney had admitted numerous breaches and faced a lengthy spell from the game. It has led to Tony criticizing the FA over the process behind his upcoming disciplinary hearing and what he sees as potential lapses in confidentiality as he prepares to argue his case.
The issue has not stopped England coach Gareth Southgate selecting Toney as one of six forwards in his 25-man squad ahead of the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine.
“The truth is, he’s available for his club,” Southgate said of Toni’s selection. “There hasn’t been a trial or any verdict yet, so I don’t know on what basis we’re not going to pick him.”
The matches will be England’s first since the national team lost to France in the World Cup quarter-finals in December.
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