To some Ivan Toney is a throwback to the good, old-fashioned no.9 but Declan Rice believes there’s so much more to his game.
Toney was named as the back-up option for Harry Kane in England’s Nations League clashes.
Many are happy with Toney’s inclusion due to his ability to give something different to Gareth Southgate’s side.
However, Rice suggested this is a disservice to Toney’s playing ability as the midfielder sees similarities between the Brentford man and Kane’s game.
“I think from the moment he stepped in the Premier League he’s taken it by storm,” Rice told talkSPORT. “If you look at what he does for Brentford, how consistent he is and what he does for his team, he’s fully deserving of a call-up.
“He’s kind of like Harry Kane in a way where he’s not only an out-and-out striker, he’s a playmaker as well – his left and right footed passing, the way he picks out his teammates is a special technique to have.
“I’m looking forward to playing with him.”
Toney, 26 years old, is a late bloomer in international soccer, as opposed to Jude Bellingham, 19, who boasts 15 senior caps.
Bellingham is yet to show the same dynamic form for England that he’s shown at Borussia Dortmund but with Kalvin Phillips an injury doubt ahead of the World Cup, Bellingham’s chances of being in the starting XI in Qatar have increased and should that happen Rice has a plan to help get the best out of the former Birmingham man.
“He’s energetic, strong, he’s got self-belief, no fear, he’s got everything,” Rice said.
“As a 19-year-old… he is a man. He’s played in the big occasions already and he’s ready to play.
“It’s down to the manager to pick what he thinks is best, when I played with Jude I loved it. It takes time to settle with a partner, you’re not going to get that connection straight away but over time you do.
“Even with all the other midfielders in the squad I hope we can go on for the next ten years and create a special bond in the middle of the pitch.
“If I was playing next to Jude in a major tournament I would tell him to go and express himself, go and do what he does best. Go and get on the ball, go and attack people, go and run at people, if he loses the ball I don’t care, just go and enjoy it and I’ll be there to defend for him.
“I think when you’ve got a player like that you need to give him the luxury of getting on the ball and expressing themselves. He’s got that in him.
“But he’s still only 19, we need to remember that… we need to keep letting him settle. By the time he’s 22/23 he’s going to be incredible.”
Many support Southgate’s decision to bring Toney and Bellingham on board for the Nations League clashes against Italy and Germany, which you can listen to live on talkSPORT.
However, some of Southgate’s selections have Caused controversyThe inclusion of Harry Maguire (pictured above) and Luke Shaw (pictured below), who are struggling at Manchester United.
But Rice has leapt to the defence of Southgate, insisting the manager knows how to get the best out of the players he’s selected.
“I’ve sometimes come into England in not the best vein of form but I’ve put on an England shirt and I’ve found my best form again,” Rice said.
“Playing for your country brings something out of you that you just can’t describe.
“Lads who come in who aren’t in form, that’s football. Sometimes you can’t be a Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo where you’re at the top of your game constantly, your form is going to fluctuate.
“It’s down to us to re-discover that form and find that confidence. I feel like Gareth knows how to get the best out of the players he’s selected, there’s a core group here who know how to work with him and every time we come here we feel like we’re ready to play, the confidence is sky high and that’s why he picks the squads that he does.”
And in a message to any disgruntled England fans out there, Rice said: “I don’t think they need to be.
“After 2018, getting to the semi-finals and getting to a final last summer – to lose one game in football isn’t the end of the world.
“If you look at the exciting players we’ve got and the squad we have, how well the manager cares for us and all his staff…
“We’re all on the same page, looking forward to a World Cup, we’re all positive, we’re ready to go and attack it.
“These next two games coming up are massive but obviously there’s a bigger picture ahead of us which is the World Cup and the end goal of that is to lift the World Cup.”
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