England star admits he was 'annoyed' by lack of game time at Euro 2024
England forward Ivan Toney has admitted that he was annoyed by the lack of game time at the ongoing UEFA EURO 2024. The Brentford striker notably made his debut for the Three Lions just over a year ago in an international friendly against Belgium, scoring a goal.
He has made just four caps since then, having to make do with a benchwarmer role more often than not. He didn't feature in the group stage of their EURO 2024 campaign.
Moving past the group games, he was trusted as a last-gasp substitution to help the Three Lions secure a spot in the quarter-finals against Slovenia. Early in extra-time, he provided an assist for Harry Kane's winning goal, pushing his national team further in the competition as they won 2-1.
Ivan Toney has now spoken about his lack of minutes in Germany, saying to the press (via BBC):
"It's always going to be tough. It's tough for all of us as we play week in, week out for our clubs. I have been in this position before and when I get an opportunity I'll take it. At my club, there is a guy called Michael Caufield [a sports psychologist] and he talks about controlling your emotions.
"Yes, I was annoyed but there was still 30 minutes of football to play [including extra-time] and you have got to come out of that mood and focus. I feel like, people call them substitutes, others finishers. I think you have to be ready and there's more than 11 players needed to win a tournament."
Ivan Toney will hope he can remain available for the Three Lions whenever they need his energy. In the meantime, he will likely remain benched, with Harry Kane owning the starting berth.
England legend speaks about Three Lions' EURO 2024 campaign
England legend Alan Shearer has spoken about the Three Lions' EURO 2024 campaign and how Gareth Southgate could move forward. They are set to play in the quarter-finals against Switzerland on July 6.
With the EURO 2024 trophy now in sight, Alan Shearer has warned head coach Gareth Southgate about decisions he will need to make (via BBC):
"He has got some difficult decisions to make. But whoever wins this tournament will have to make big decisions and be brave at times. This is time for England now to say 'we're in this competition, we haven't played as well as we want to or can do and this is it'. This is where it has to start for them."
England have struggled with subpar performances in the tournament, scoring only two goals in three group-stage games. They also nearly lost to Slovakia in the Round of 16, but were saved by a moment of magic from Jude Bellingham to equalize deep in injury time. Harry Kane scored the winning goal to push them ahead and knock Slovakia out.