IVAN TONEY looked glum as he watched on from the bench as England lost to Senegal.
The striker was recalled to the squad by Thomas Tuchel but played for just eight minutes including stoppage time across matches against Andorra and Senegal.
And he looked stunned as he sat on the substitutes’ bench in the 70th minute as Noni Madueke prepared to come on.
ITV commentator Lee Dixon joked: “I might get on before Toney.”
England trailed 2-1 at the time and Tuchel had already brought on Morgan Rogers and Morgan Gibbs-White ahead of Toney.
The Al-Ahli striker had to wait until the 88th minute to try and impact the match, as fellow subs Madueke and Jude Bellingham had failed to do so.
Bellingham did find the net from close range but the goal was disallowed because a handball from Levi Colwill in the build-up, with Senegal going on to win 3-1.
Tuchel was asked after the match about his decision to leave Toney on the bench until the final few minutes.
He said: “First of all it was more than three minutes.
“Second of all I think that Ivan is a specialist for exactly these situations.
“We created a lot of chances with Morgan Gibbs-White, with Ebs [Eberechi Eze], with Morgan Rodgers, and with Jude in fluid positions.
“I think Ivan is strongest when we have a phase where we have a lot of balls in the box and that was the case so after 80minutes we got him ready.
“Then we scored and they took the goal away and it took a little while longer than we wanted but that’s what he can give – presence in the box and a goal later in the match.”
Ian Wright and Roy Keane showed sympathy after the match, suggesting he ought to have been brought on earlier.
Wright told ITV: “He’s seen him all week and didn’t look to put him on until late. I don’t know what he has seen in training that he may not like up to this point.
“I was very surprised not to see him come on… I would be disappointed if I was him.”
And Keane added: “If you’re Toney and you’re getting three, four, five minutes, you’re fuming.”
Read the full article here
