Thomas Frank: 'Brentford will cherish Ivan Toney England call-up'

Thomas Frank has talked up the importance of Ivan Toney's call-up to the England squad for Brentford.

The 26-year-old has been hugely impressive for the Bees since their promotion to the Premier League through the Championship playoffs in May 2021.

As many as 17 goals and seven assists have come from 39 appearances in England's top flight, contributions which have helped establish Brentford in the division.

Having only played 10 minutes of Premier League football ahead of 2021-22, Toney did not represent England at any age level during the early stages of his career.

However, he has now been named in Gareth Southgate's squad for the final two fixtures ahead of the 2022 World Cup, which begins in November.

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After the announcement was made on Thursday afternoon, Frank spoke of his pride at having one of the club's players represent the Three Lions.

Talking to Brentford's official website, Frank said: "This is a fantastic day, especially for Ivan but also for everyone at Brentford. The most credit must go to Ivan, who has performed exceptionally on the pitch ever since he joined us and has shown that he has the potential to play for England.

"He is one of our leaders and has excelled as a player and a person. Every match, Brentford fans can see what he brings to our team, all over the pitch, and I hope England fans get a chance to see it as well. Tributes should also be paid to his family and everyone who has worked with him at previous clubs to help him develop.

"To have someone in the England squad is a huge achievement for everyone at the Club. To have an English player, at an English club, in the England squad, given the competition for those places, is a moment for us to cherish."

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Brentford have not had a player selected for the senior England squad since 1939 when Les Smith featured against Romania.

With Manchester United's Marcus Rashford and Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin missing out through injury, Toney is one of three central forwards to be selected.

Harry Kane is the senior frontman in the squad while Tammy Abraham has remained as backup to the national team captain.

Both of the upcoming fixtures are in the UEFA Nations League, England first travelling to Italy for a game on September 23 before playing host to Germany three days later.