Manager Thomas Tuchel speaks at a press conference (Image: Getty Images)
Manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed that he has held transparent talks with Ivan Toney, after which he gave the striker a “special operations” role within the squad. Tuchel openly admitted that Toney’s “level of commitment and training” had fallen well short of expectations during his last appearance for England 12 months ago.
The Three Lions manager confirmed he had brought Toney back into action after England’s last training camp in March to provide further strength at this summer’s World Cup. Toney, 30, is perhaps the most eye-catching member of the 26-man squad, especially considering he currently plies his trade in the Saudi Professional League and his international career seemed all but over.
But Tuchel believes the striker can act as England’s ultimate impact substitute – one of the key finishers in the sweltering heat in the US – and could prove invaluable as a penalty specialist in the event of a shootout.
“In this case, Ivan is part of the special operations team, part of the special teams. He knows that, that’s his role, he’s the glue off the pitch,” Tuchel said.
“He’s a guy who communicates really well with everyone, so let’s go. It took a while, but it wasn’t until the last few weeks that we started talking in depth about selection.
“I wasn’t happy with camp in June, and he knows that. And after that, we needed to clear the air. That was the first step to start thinking about bringing him back, because I wasn’t happy.”
“It wasn’t about his personality. The level of training and the level of dedication was not what we wanted.
“We’re trying to build a strong set-piece team. He can play his role there, both defensively and in attack, and he’s a world-class penalty taker. He suddenly ticks a lot of boxes. We inevitably spoke to him again and made it clear whether he was happy to come.”
“And after talking to him again and getting good feedback, very good feedback from his club coaches, and also getting good feedback from the Euros in Germany, we decided to open the doors again and invite him.”
Tuchel admitted he had not personally traveled to Saudi Arabia to watch him, but Justin Coquelin was on the trip to watch Matthias Jaisul’s Al Ahly play, and Tuchel is familiar with him from his time in Germany.
Ivan Toney named in England’s World Cup squad (Image: Getty Images)
Toney played in Euro 2024, but his move to the Saudi Professional League appeared to be the end of his England career.
But with Tuchel wanting three strikers in his squad and Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Dom Solanke not being claimed for the March internationals, England were back to square one and looked at Toney in a new light.
Harry Kane remains a promising starter, with Ollie Watkins also securing his place, with Tuchel praising the Aston Villa forward’s response after being overlooked in March. But it’s Tony’s remarkable comeback and international rescue that truly captured people’s imaginations.
“We started talking more about the team and different scenarios,” Tuchel said. “We started talking about the team in more depth and different scenarios. If we were down 1-0 with 15 minutes of play, 10 minutes plus extra time and we needed a goal, what would be the most attacking formation?”
“We’re pushing. We’re around the box. The ball is flying into the box. What’s the scenario? Then his name always comes up because he has a presence.”
“Harry loves playing with him because he thinks he distracts him. He’s an even more traditional No. 9 than Harry himself. So if there’s a ricochet in the box, is he the player you want to drop the ball on? Yes, that’s right.”
“Is he the player you want this touch with? Will he distract the other strikers with his presence? Yes.”
Another somewhat surprising name included on the team is Jed Spence. He has struggled to earn regular appearances for Tottenham this season, suffering a dip in form and breaking his jaw this week in a collision with Chelsea’s Rory Delap.
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Spence was chosen for his versatility on both flanks, but there are no doubt concerns over the fitness of Reece James and Tino Livramento, who have been sidelined with injuries this season.
Tuchel added: “First of all, he was great in every game he played for us. He has suffered from the change of manager at the club. Since then he has played a lot of minutes. Of course he is suffering from this situation. He is also part of the situation.”
“He’s part of the situation and I’m talking now. He brings something to the group that we don’t have in our profile. I think he loves to defend. He’s the fastest player on our team.”
“He loves defending one-on-one and that’s the trait that makes him an outstanding full-back for us. He’s a bit of a special full-back for us. He can be at the top of either team with the way he plays.”
“I spoke to Jed before the game in March. I said I was a little concerned about what was going on within the club. I don’t know the minutes. If I come here in March, I have to prove myself again.”
“He honestly did that because both of our full-backs, Tino and Jed, were really good. He believed in them and they brought something to the group.”
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