Thomas Frank: Only Harry Kane is a better England striker than Ivan Toney at the minute
Brentford manager Thomas Frank believes Ivan Toney is the second-best England striker after only Harry Kane on current form.
The 26-year-old has started the season like a house on fire, netting five goals in just six games to fire Brentford up to eighth in the Premier League table.
His latest attacking salvo came in the Bees’ 5-2 win over Leeds United at the weekend, in which he claimed the match ball with a devastating hat-trick.
Having initially broke the deadlock from a penalty kick — awarded upon consultation with VAR — Toney then fired home a bullet free-kick that left Illan Meslier rooted to the spot, before putting the gloss on his hat-trick with an exceptionally cheeky chip.
Latest odds for current uncapped players to make England's World Cup squad:
| Player | Sky Bet |
| Ivan Toney | 6/4 |
| Harvey Elliott | 2/1 |
| Anthony Gordon | 4/1 |
| Ryan Sessegnon | 4/1 |
| Jack Harrison | 6/1 |
| Eberechi Eze | 8/1 |
| Max Kilman | 10/1 |
| Jacob Ramsey | 16/1 |
| Morgan Gibbs-White | 20/1 |
| Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall | 20/1 |
You have to be 18+ to gamble. All odds within this article are accurate at the time of writing (13:45, 05/09/2022). BeGambleAware.
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As things currently stand, only Erling Haaland (10) and Aleksandar Mitrovic (six) have netted more than Toney (five) in the Premier League this season, and he will be hoping those numbers can attract the attention of Gareth Southgate ahead of the World Cup in November.
The England boss will select his latest squad next week for the Three Lions’ upcoming Nations League games against Italy and Germany this month, and Brentford manager Frank believes Toney should be considered second only to Kane in the striker pecking order.
“Kane is No. 1, but there is not a better [English] striker after Kane [than Toney] on form,” Frank stated.
Latest odds for forwards to make England's World Cup squad:
| Player | Sky Bet |
| Harry Kane | 1/20 |
| Raheem Sterling | 1/20 |
| Marcus Rashford | 2/7 |
| Jadon Sancho | 2/7 |
| Tammy Abraham | 2/5 |
| Ivan Toney | 2/5 |
| Jarrod Bowen | 6/4 |
| Callum Wilson | 5/1 |
| Dominic Calvert-Lewin | 20/1 |
| Patrick Bamford | 20/1 |
| Ollie Watkins | 20/1 |
| Eddie Nketiah | 25/1 |
You have to be 18+ to gamble. All odds within this article are accurate at the time of writing (11:45, 27/09/2022). BeGambleAware.
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Toney himself spoke about the prospect of receiving his first call-up to St. George’s Park, and the Northampton-born No. 9 says he is ‘hopeful’ his current form in the Premier League can be recognised at international level.
Following his latest hat-trick and whether he feels he’s done enough to excite Southgate, Toney commented: “Let’s hope so. There is always a chance. I have just got to concentrate on myself and concentrate on doing well for my team. Then, who knows what can happen?”
READ MORE: England’s World Cup 2022 squad odds: Who will be on the plane to Qatar?
