Eddie Howe would 'love' to think that an 'outstanding' player like Ivan Toney would not have to leave Newcastle United today to become an England international.
Toney felt former Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez did not trust him so the striker moved to Peterborough United in 2018 following a series of loan spells away from St James' Park. Benitez always maintained that 'nobody' at the club told him Toney was an 'option' in the loan reports he received and, perhaps, not even the striker could have predicted what happened next.
After earning a move to Brentford, two years ago, Toney fired his side to promotion to the Premier League and the 26-year-old has certainly not looked out of place in the top-flight. In fact, only Harry Kane and Spurs team-mate Son Heung-min have scored more goals in the Premier League in 2022. Was it any wonder that Toney was handed his first England call-up on Thursday?
