England welcomed Thomas Tuchel as the national team's new manager at the start of 2025, giving a number of Three Lions international renewed hope of making a return to the squad after being frozen out under Gareth Southgate or, more recently, interim boss Lee Carsley.
But while the majority of those England players still ply their trade in the Premier League, Ivan Toney risked his international career last summer by swapping Brentford for Al-Ahli. His final appearance for the national team came at Euro 2024 as a result, with Harry Kane, Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke the preferred centre-forwards in recent times.
Toney still doesn't think an England recall is beyond him while playing in Saudi Arabia, however, with the 28-year-old also content if Tuchel overlooks him for his upcoming squads, too.
England still a possibility for Ivan Toney, despite playing in Saudi Arabia
“Of course not – if I did, I’d tell you, but I don’t,” the striker tells FourFourTwo when asked if he thinks he's ruined his chances of returning to the national team. “Being part of the squad for the Euros was a good experience. I made true friends who I’ll keep in touch with, although it would have been that much sweeter if we’d won. It was painful to get so close and fall at the final hurdle.
“If coming here has damaged my England chances, I can’t really change that. All I can do is focus on myself, play well, and who knows what can happen? This is a very tough league. Everyone has their opinion; that doesn’t mean it’s factual. If I was to get back involved on the international stage, then I’m ready for it. If not, it is what it is.”
It's worth noting that Toney has managed to come back from a seemingly untenable position before. After being banned from football for eight months between May 2023 and January 2024 due to 262 breaches of betting laws, Toney still managed to receive a call-up for England's 26-man Euro 2024 squad.
While in Germany, Toney came on to assist Harry Kane's winner in extra-time in their last-16 tie with Slovakia, before cooly slotting his penalty away against Switzerland in the quarter-final shootout.
In total, Toney has made six appearances for the Three Lions, scoring one goal. But while he has so far failed to match the impressive 20 Premier League goals he scored in the 2022/23 season while in Saudi Arabia, he has still managed to bag 12 times in 23 appearances.
Toney will be 32 by the time his Al-Ahli contract is set to expire in 2028, but a return back to the Premier League, and even England, is certainly possible. After nearly four years out of the England team between 2013 and 2017, Jermain Defoe returned as a 34-year-old to make two appearances and score one goal.
In FourFourTwo's view, it's likely Toney will return to the Premier League a lot sooner than 2028, too. Valued at just £23m by Transfermarkt, sides might look to tempt him back to England with the allure of the national team also a potentially deciding factor.
Tuchel will select his first England squad in March, as his side takes on Albania and Latvia at Wembley for their first World Cup 2026 qualifying matches.
‘To keep a clean sheet on debut at Old Trafford was special, but I was lucky that John Fashanu and Vinnie Jones didn’t play – they caused problems’: Ex-Manchester United goalkeeper reflects on facing Wimbledon's Crazy Gang aged just 18
‘I wish I’d got more caps, but I really enjoyed playing for England and won loads of money playing cards. Alan Shearer was like Father Christmas!’: Arsenal legend reflects on limited opportunties for national team, but fond memories away from the pitch
