Ivan Toney's England recall: Why Thomas Tuchel has brought the striker back into the World Cup squad

By the time the England World Cup squad was officially announced on Friday morning there had been more plot twists than an Agatha Christie novel.

While the likes of Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Maguire had that feeling of a rug being pulled out from under them, Ivan Toney represents one of manager Thomas Tuchel's big reveals.

The 30-year-old Al-Ahli forward has not featured for England for almost 12 months since making his only appearance under the German - and that was as an 88th-minute substitute in a defeat by Senegal at the City Ground.

So having been left out of the past four squads, why has Tuchel decided to bring the forward back in from the international wilderness?

The former Brentford striker was part of Gareth Southgate's squad at Euro 2024, when England lost in the final to Spain.

And he is expected to play a similar role this time, as a back-up to Harry Kane, with all three of his appearances in that tournament coming as a late substitute when England were chasing the game.

He also showcased his formidable penalty-taking qualities in the last eight, scoring from the spot in the shootout victory over Switzerland, when he found the net without looking at the ball as he stared down the keeper.

Toney's record of 36 goals in 85 Premier League games equates to almost a goal every other game and he has been even more prolific in the Saudi Pro League, where he has plundered 55 goals in 62 matches over two seasons.

For context, Portugal great Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 53 times in 60 appearances in the same competition.

"[It was] also a bit of a surprise to us [his inclusion]," said Tuchel. "When it came down to all different kinds of scenarios he was back in the picture.

"I had fantastic feedback from his club coach, who was my player, and I have a close connection with him, always fantastic feedback about his role there, about his ability, his fitness."

This season, Toney finished second in the domestic scoring charts with 32 goals in 32 games - he evens boasts more assists and a better shot conversion rate than Bayern Munich forward Kane.

Just what those goals are worth outside Europe's top five leagues is yet to be seen, but on numbers alone his record stands up to scrutiny against any English striker around.

Given he is also one of only three centre-forwards selected by Tuchel, with Ollie Watkins also in the squad, it does not feel like a position that is overmanned given that 26 squad places were up for grabs.

Previous Three Lions squads at major tournaments have at times included four or five personnel for the exact same position.

The argument against his inclusion would ask why England need another forward aside from Kane and Watkins, given modern-day formational switches and a dearth of top-quality options for that position?

Detractors would also argue Toney's place should be used to accomodate another of those multi-talented number 10s who have been left behind.

However, former Chelsea and Paris St-Germain boss Tuchel could make a viable case for leaving behind Palmer and Foden, who have not hit previous heights in 2025-26.

Instead he has gone for a player brimming with confidence and one that is accustomed to dealing with the intense temperatures that England will encounter this summer at the tournament in the US, Mexico and Canada.

"We could see that he still collects the numbers. I think he has very special skills that could help us, the situations, scenarios when we are chasing a result," added Tuchel.

"I think he can be a very valuable addition to Harry Kane, he can be present in the box when we are pushing for a goal.

"He can take attention off other strikers, he has a natural presence within the box, he is a natural finisher, he can help us with set-pieces - he is very strong in there. Very good in using his body and not to forget, he is a world class penalty taker. He ticks some boxes that we wanted to be ticked."

The Three Lions, who reached the semi-finals in Russia in 2018 and the quarter-finals in Qatar four years ago, face Croatia in their opening Group L fixture on Wednesday, 17 June (21:00 BST).

Starting at Northampton, Toney moved to Newcastle but was sent out on six different loan spells before joining Peterborough. He scored in all four of the top divisions in English football before settling at Brentford in 2020.

Toney scored as Brentford beat Swansea 2-0 at Wembley to win promotion to the Premier League in 2021. And it was at the Bees where he peaked, with 20 league goals in the 2022-23 season.

Toney has, however, been a bit of a late bloomer. He was 27 years old when he won his first England cap. In comparison, Kane had 46 caps by that stage - while Wayne Rooney had 78.

His career has also been marked with controversy. In May 2023 he was banned from playing for eight months for 232 breaches of the Football Association's betting rules.

Toney scored on his return from his ban in a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest in January 2024 and then netted for the Three Lions in a March friendly draw with Belgium.

He was included in the England squad for Euro 2024 and played in the final against Spain, but was left out of the Brentford squad on his return because of transfer speculation.

Toney opted to join Al-Ahli in August 2024 for £40m. It was reported that his four-year-deal with the Saudi side would earn him £400,000 per week after tax.