"England World Cup qualifying squad overlooked a notable figure by Thomas Tuchel, deemed immature and unintelligent in his critique"

Ivan Toney's Omitted from England's World Cup Squad Amidst Striker Competition

Ivan Toney, the Brentford striker, has found himself on the periphery of England's World Cup plans, despite his impressive form for club and country. Toney was part of England's Euro 2024 squad, making three substitute appearances, including their final match against Spain. However, he has started in just one of his seven Three Lions appearances, with his only start being a friendly against Belgium in 2024, where he scored a goal.

Troy Deeney, a former England international, has spoken out about Toney's omission from Thomas Tuchel's thinking for England. Deeney pointed out that the English World Cup 2026 squad nomination overlooked Toney, and he criticized Tuchel for his decision. Deeney believes that Toney's exclusion is due to a perceived personality clash with the England manager.

Tuchel has played Toney once during his tenure as England manager, bringing the forward on in the latter stages of a 3-1 friendly loss to Senegal. However, the manager has a wealth of striker options at his disposal, including Ollie Watkins, Marcus Rashford, Jarrod Bowen, Anthony Gordon, Phil Foden, and Morgan Rogers. Bayern Munich star Harry Kane has started at No.9 in all five of Tuchel's matches as Three Lions boss, but he managed just two shots in England's recent 2-0 victory over Andorra.

England will face Serbia in their fifth World Cup qualification match in Group K, with the match scheduled to be played live on talkSPORT. If England wins this match, they will have 15 points and hold an eight-point lead if Latvia beats Albania. However, England's qualification for the World Cup can't be confirmed with a victory in their fifth qualification match.

Toney, meanwhile, has been in prolific form for his club, Al Ahli, scoring 30 goals in 44 appearances during his debut season and five strikes in four matches this term. His goalscoring success with Brentford, where he netted 36 goals in the Premier League, has gone unnoticed by Tuchel, leaving many to question his decision to overlook the striker.

Despite Toney's omission from the World Cup squad, he will undoubtedly be looking to make an impact when England's qualification campaign resumes, with England captain Kane expected to have more involvement during the qualifying campaign. Toney will be hoping to prove his worth and force his way back into Tuchel's plans for the Three Lions.