England vs Belgium: Ivan Toney has golden chance in fight to be Harry Kane's Euro 2024 deputy

Watkins crucially flattered to deceive against Brazil, with his Brentford successor backed to take full advantage

Gareth Southgate believes Ivan Toney has the “swagger” required to seize Tuesday night’s rare England chance, as the Brentford striker looks to force his way into the Three Lions’ Euro 2024 plans.

Toney, recalled this month for the first time since serving his betting ban, is set to be handed his first England start when Belgium visit Wembley for what is the final friendly before Southgate names his squad for this summer’s tournament.

With Harry Kane injured, Ollie Watkins was given 90 minutes to impress in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat by Brazil and the Brentford forward appears to be in direct competition with the Aston Villa striker for one spot on the plane to Germany.

“You can’t hide that fact,” Southgate said of the scale of Toney’s opportunity. “He knows. It would be his first [international] start, so you’ve got to bear that in mind as well. But, with England, that’s the landscape, you don’t get hundreds of opportunities.

“He’s a confident guy, he comes in on the back of a good run of form with his club. He’s going to be on the field on Tuesday, no question. That swagger, that self-belief is crucial. All of the top forward players have it.”

It was in an interview with this very newspaper, towards the end of his first season at Brentford, that Toney admitted to having grown a little weary of comparisons to Watkins, the man he had been signed to replace: “If I had a pound for every time I heard Ollie Watkins’ name,” he said.

Little did he know then that, three years later, the pair would still be being weighed against one another, only now with the England manager holding the scales.

Action Images via Reuters

It is not all that long ago that taking four centre-forwards to a major tournament was considered the norm, but times and, more pertinently, systems have changed, and with so many exciting wide players to accommodate, it would be a surprise if Southgate found room for more than two specialist No9s in his final 23-man squad.

Even with a bloated 26 at each of the last two tournaments, England relied on a Kane-plus-one formula. This time around, Jarrod Bowen, who has played up front for West Ham for much of the season, is in contention, too.

Watkins has been arguably the Premier League’s forward of the season, 16 goals surely worth at least as much credit as Erling Haaland’s 18 at Manchester City and paired with 10 assists. Toney, though, is closer in style and stature to Kane.

Watkins, after 10 caps, is more of a known quantity; Toney, with just one (lasting nine minutes), offers international potential untapped. The latter would represent more of a gamble. The manager, though, likes what he sees.

Watkins, after 10 caps, is more of a known quantity; Toney, with just one (lasting nine minutes), offers international potential untapped

“I think sometimes the quality of his football can be underestimated,” he said. “His passing, his link play.

“We’re still getting to know all of those strengths, because until you work with a player more regularly, you don’t know them inside out. You look at him being a big guy, but he’s not just a target man.”

There is a degree to which the debate may be futile, Saturday’s defeat by Brazil highlighting in his absence the way in which Kane — and only Kane — can elevate England’s attack. It is hard to envisage an England triumph in Germany this summer if the captain, for any reason, does not make the trip.

Southgate, though, cannot make that concession and for Toney, after so much waiting, a golden chance awaits.

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