Toney Eager To Seize World Cup Chance After Maiden England Call Up

Toney received his first call up to the England national team last week for the upcoming Nations League matches against Italy and Germany.

The 26-year-old is the first Brentford player to receive an England call-up since Les Smith in 1939.

It capped a quick turnaround for Toney, who was playing in League One with Peterborough United as recently as 2020.

The former Newcastle United striker scored 12 goals in 33 Premier League outings last season while he has netted five in seven appearances this term.

"This is my opportunity now," he stated. "I've got to take it with both hands. I'm excited, I'm confident, I'm very hungry.

"I've been working for this moment and here it is now, so I'm not going to let it go by me, by any means."

"It is a massive opportunity for me to get myself on the plane. But I've just got to go game by game. Hopefully I'll get a few minutes in the games we have."

"If you manifest it you always have a big chance of doing it. No matter where I was - whether I was on loan here, there and everywhere - I always believed in myself that one day I would be a Premier League player.

"Now I'm a Premier League player and an England international."

Opening up on his first call up, Toney added: "I was driving to training, the Brentford gaffer called me."

"I was running a bit late so I actually thought he was calling about my timekeeping.

"He just said he was privileged to tell me I had been called up to the England squad. It was the first time in my life I haven't had anything to say.

"I was driving to training thinking, 'Wow, I'm actually going to play with the senior England squad'.

"We have a family group chat, I video called everybody, I broke the news and they were screaming for about 20 minutes. My dad was beeping his horn, wherever he was."