Ivan Toney was “annoyed” to be brought on so late against Slovakia but pledged to be ready whenever called upon as England look to “kick on” from their Euro 2024 near miss.
Gareth Southgate’s side were moments away from an embarrassing exit akin to the defeat to Iceland eight years earlier as stoppage time ebbed away on Sunday evening.
Toney made his frustration known as the England manager brought him on for his major tournament debut four minutes into added time in Gelsenkirchen, but the late move worked out.
The 28-year-old’s presence helped allow for Jude Bellingham’s stunning 95th-minute equaliser, with the Brentford striker then smartly heading across for Harry Kane to seal a 2-1 extra-time triumph.
Asked how he made up with Southgate, Toney said: “By winning! Every player is going to have a bit of a hump at not playing games and with a minute to go you want a bit more than that.
“But we managed to get the equaliser and then it was up to me to put myself in a better space, fix my mood and then get on with the game. I managed to do that and managed to contribute.
“It is going to be tough for all of us because we are used to playing week in, week out for our clubs, so it is always tough.
“But from the beginning of my career I have been down this route before of being a sub and being patient.
“I guess I have to do that again now and hopefully if I get a chance I can take it.”
Toney is prepared to bide his time in Germany and credits Brentford’s sports psychologist for helping him reset from pre-introduction frustration to make an influence on the field.
“There’s a guy called Michael Caulfield at Brentford, who is always talking about controlling your emotions, and I feel like in that moment it was time to control your emotions,” he said.
“Yes, I was annoyed but still 30 minutes to play, and you’ve got to come out of that mood and focus.
we’re two games away from a major final and we have to do what we can do and hopefully it’ll be enough
“There’s a lot more to give, I felt for myself. There’s 30 minutes of football and you’ve got to play your part and I managed to do that.”
England also have a lot more to give in Germany, where they stumbled their way to the top of Group C before sneaking past Slovakia to set-up a quarter-final clash with Switzerland on Saturday.
“There’s always going to be expectations and a lot of people who have their opinion,” Toney said. “They’re entitled to it. If we win 2-0, people will say it should have been three or four. That’s always the case.
“But we’re two games away from a major final and we have to do what we can do and hopefully it’ll be enough.”
Work mode 🔛 pic.twitter.com/XsZ1QrgL9n
— England (@England) July 3, 2024
Asked if there was more motivation to make the most out of if having gone so close to an early exit, he said: “Yeah for sure. It was eye-opening that you could be going home any minute.
“The relief after in the dressing room was kind of like ‘right, now boys it’s time to kick on’.
“I think we’ve got the character and the quality of players to do so. Hopefully, we can do that now.”
Southgate’s side are just two games away from becoming the first English men’s team to reach a final on foreign soil, but Switzerland are sure to provide a stern test.
Runners-up in Group A to hosts Germany, the Swiss went onto knockout holders Italy 2-0 in the round of 16.
“It’s going to be a tough game,” Toney said. “There are some quality players, great side, doing very well in this tournament. Full respect to them.
“We can just concentrate on ourselves, concentrate on what we can do best, and hopefully the players in the starting XI, and the players coming on, are more than enough to win the game.
“Every game is going to be a battle. They have quality players.
“We just have to be up to the test, work hard, and be in for a fight which I know the Swiss will put up.”
