Former England manager Sam Allardyce has urged Gareth Southgate to be bold and replace Harry Kane with Ivan Toney.
England have had a shaky start to the Euros, managing only one victory and two goals in their first three games. As such, fans are calling for significant changes to the team, but Allardyce's proposal is arguably one of the most daring suggestions.
Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce, 69, labelled Toney 'the best in the world' at his role and suggested that his inclusion in the starting XI could surprise England's last-16 opponents, Slovakia.
"I'd change Harry Kane for Ivan Toney," said the 69 year old football veteran. "The last team to win at Manchester City was Brentford. The manager needs to say to the players, 'If I put Ivan Toney on, it goes to him'."
Allardyce went on to explain his strategy: "So when it goes to him, Foden goes in there, Saka goes in there and Bellingham goes in there. It goes up, [Toney] wins it, he flicks it on and it goes in behind and those three are there [to get on the end of it].
Liverpool predicted line-up vs Brentford as Cody Gakpo sweating on debut
"We're attacking the box and we're putting them under pressure... even if he doesn't win it, the opposition centre half isn't going to head it more than six yards so it's fallen to the likes of Foden... it's a different way of playing."
Acknowledging his reputation as a long-ball manager, Allardyce added: "Everybody will say Sam Allardyce wants to play direct again blah blah blah, but it's a great way of playing to change the shape, and by the time the opposition try and suss it out it's too late, we've have scored a goal.
Allardyce wants Ivan Toney to replace Harry Kane up top ((Image: Getty))"[Toney] is almighty in today's world, which is frowned upon a little bit, by being the strongest or one of the strongest players in any aerial battle [he's the best] in world football I'd say. If you play off him, he can hold it up or flick it on. This is what Brentford did to Man City. Every time it went up to Toney there were two people running in behind."
Toney, 28, has struggled to break into Southgate's England plans, having been forced to settle for a spot behind Kane and Ollie Watkins, who got a run out against Denmark, in the pecking order. The ex-Peterborough hotshot, who has four England caps, was banned for eight months last season due to betting offences, though in 2022/23 he bagged 20 league goals - a tally only bettered by Kane and Erling Haaland.
Meanwhile, Allardyce has been jobless since his departure from Leeds at the conclusion of the 2022/2023 season. He was named England manager in July 2016 but his tenure lasted a mere two months before he was sacked amidst allegations of misconduct, with Southgate stepping into his shoes.
and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
