Ivan Toney not being in the England World Cup squad is unanimously unjustified

Gareth Southgate got most things right. But to not bring Ivan Toney to the World Cup – that is almost entirely unjustified.

The midseason World Cup kicks off next week in Qatar, with England playing the day after the opening ceremony. The Three Lions will take on Iran in the opening match of Group B. However, they will notice the absence of one man – Ivan Toney.

Toney has had a terrific season with Brentford, and is proving to be one of the most consistent England strikers. When he has the ball at his feet and his eyes on goal, he almost always remains the calmest player on the pitch.

The forwards which Gareth Southgate selected to represent England in the World Cup were as follows – Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, James Maddison, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Callum Wilson.

Most of these selections were no-brainers and exactly what we as fans expected. However, one decision was in contention in the buildup to the squad being announced – Ivan Toney or Callum Wilson?

Either resolution to this conundrum would have been a harsh one on the striker who missed out. However, for me, it was always going to be Toney.

It goes without saying that the defensive selection by Southgate was nonsensical, but in my opinion, not enough people are talking about the unjust decision to not select Ivan Toney.

The most obvious comparison between Callum Wilson would be to compare their goals scored per game – Toney trumps that (0.8) compared to Wilson (0.7). In terms of link-up play, Toney has completed more passes per 90 (14.3) than Wilson (8.3). Physically, Toney makes more tackles per 90 (0.9) compared to Wilson (0.5). Toney has been more involved in Brentford’s play, making 40.6 touches per 90 minutes, compared to Wilson’s 23.7.

Accuse me of cherrypicking statistics all you like, you can cherrypick your own using Squawka’s comparison matrix. Either way, there is no way to justify leaving Toney out of the team selection.

What would be your England frontline for the World Cup?