Gareth Southgate doused Ivan Toney’s Euro hopes after warning the striker that it was less important to give him a chance against Iceland on Friday than to bring Harry Kane up to speed.
Southgate will send his last 26-man squad to Uefa after a full-time stint against Iceland, and Toney perils being one of the seven players who will have no success beyond this week’s training camp. The Brentford player was an unused substitute when England smack Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-0 on Monday, and he appears to have slipped behind Ollie Watkins in the action for Kane.
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The opportunities to impress are running out, especially since Southgate has made it unlikely that there will be room for three number 9s in his team. Toney’s form fell at the wrong time – he played in 12 goalless matches for Brentford at the end of the season – although he was not sure that he would miss anything. The 28-year-old played well in the draw in the middle of England and Belgium in March and is encouraged by Watkins, who failed to take his chance after starting against Bosnia.
But the concern for Toney is that Southgate said Kane would line up against Iceland. Kane missed Bayern Munich’s last two games with a back health issue and England’s training effect on the captain’s fitness ahead of the Euro final is that Toney’s minutes against Iceland are limited.
“He will be involved in the game on Friday, but I have to understand Harry Kane well,” Southgate said. “Sometimes the priorities of what is required and what you also want to see can not achieve all these goals – it’s as simple as that.”
Southgate is still sweating on the fitness of Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire, who replaced Shaw as left-back in England’s opening game against Serbia on the 16th, feels he is heading in the right direction after struggling with form and fitness last season.
“I’m fit,” the Newcastle defender said. “If I choose the team, then of course I’ll go in. It depends on Gareth, but whether I play or not, I’m ready. I felt really fit. I feel good, I feel fresh.”