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Brentford striker Ivan Toney ‘free’ to play after eight-month ban

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Brentford striker Ivan Toney has said he feels “free” following the end of his eight-month ban from football.

Toney, 27, is now able to play for the Bees after a suspension for breaking Football Association gambling rules.

The forward has scored 32 goals in 64 Premier League games since joining Brentford in 2020 and is eager to build on his tally this season.

“It feels like we lost wi-fi connection but we’re back connected again and reloaded,” Toney told Sky Sports.

“I feel like a free man. It feels like a weight lifted off my shoulders. I have a target of how many goals I want to get,” he added.

Toney has not played a competitive match since 6 May 2023, having served an eight-month ban for 232 breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules.

He was allowed to return to training with Brentford in September but the ban prohibited from playing until 17 January.

Toney marked his return on Wednesday morning with a social media post saying he was “free”.

Toney, who has been linked with transfer interest from Arsenal and Chelsea, is set to feature when Brentford face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday.

“It’s obvious I’d like to play for a top club, everybody wants to play for the top clubs, fighting for titles and these kinds of things.

“So whether it’s this January for a club to come in and pay the right money, who knows?”

Only ‘unbelievable’ offer will force the sale of Toney
In his build-up to returning to competitive action, Toney scored a hat-trick for Brentford’s B team in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Southampton Under-23s, and last Saturday scored a Panenka penalty in a friendly against Danish side Brondby.

“I’ve been training well and playing well in behind closed doors. I don’t have anything to prove to anyone but myself. I want to show I can do it,” the striker said.

“It was the ‘feel sorry for yourself’ moment for so long, but I think I’ve chosen the right way by working hard.”

Among those looking forward to the return of the one-time England international is Bees boss Thomas Frank, who said he would have played Toney in their FA Cup replay at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday night had it taken place 24 hours later when the ban lifted.

“It’s like signing a Premier League striker who can score 20 goals, because he’s proved it,” said Frank of Toney’s return.

“Every team would be happy to sign a quality player like him. Ivan is a top player but he’s also very good at making the whole team better.”

Toney also spoke of his gambling addiction, saying he is feeling better and “focused on doing the right thing”.

“I’m sorted out now so hopefully, I will focus on doing the right thing going forward,” Toney said.

“There’s no urge to do any of that rubbish, it’s all good.”

 

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European Leagues

JAILED! French Striker Sentenced To Two-Years In Prison Over Rape

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JAILED! French Striker Sentenced To Two-Years In Prison Over Rape

Former AS Monaco, Sevilla and France forward Wissam Ben Yedder has been convicted of attempted rape and sexual assault in Nice, following a lengthy legal process.

The 34-year-old, who was a free agent this summer after leaving the principality, has been declared guilty of all charges in court, and on top of the two years in prison he will face, Ben Yedder will see his driving licence suspended for six months. He will pay a €6.5k fine in damages to the victim, and his name will be placed on the sex offender register.

Ben Yedder apologised to the 23-year-old victim during the court proceedings, blaming his actions on alcohol. Diario AS explain that the prosecution were seeking a year in prison and 2.5 years more in a suspended sentence, conscious of the fact that he has a separate ongoing rape investigation into him. Ben Yedder paid a €900k bail to avoid custody in 2023.

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Man City Crisis Deepens As Grealish, Foden Out Of England Squad

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Man City Crisis Deepens As Grealish, Foden Out Of England Squad

Manchester City’s number of international dropouts increased to five on Monday following the news that Jack Grealish and Phil Foden have pulled out of the England squad, along with Jeremy Doku’s withdrawal from Belgium duty.

It follows Manuel Akanji’s departure from the Switzerland squad, while Matheus Nunes was a surprise dropout from the Portugal team.

It’s a sign of just how widespread City’s injury issues are, with Ruben Dias and John Stones missing Saturday’s loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, along with Grealish and Doku, while Rodri and Oscar Bobb are long-term absentees.

Nathan Ake and Kevin De Bruyne have not been included in their respective international squads. The latter has only recently returned from a seven-week absence, while Ake was deemed not fit enough to come off the bench at the Amex.

In addition, Kyle Walker is yet to regain full fitness after sustaining an injury during the last international break. It means City squad really is threadbare on the back of a four-game losing streak, the worst run of Pep Guardiola’s time at the club.

However, the Catalan will be pleased to hear of Grealish’s withdrawal from the England squad. The former Aston Villa star has missed the last six City games due to injury and Guardiola was furious that he was called up by Lee Carsley.

“Seventeen days, didn’t train once. Today the first training and trained 20 minutes,” Guardiola said on Friday following the news of Grealish’s selection. “This is the reality. He was in the gym for a few minutes yes, the last two days. It’s a question for the [England] manager – I’m not involved. They can select who they want.”

Guardiola said after the Brighton game that he is hopeful several of the absentees will be back after the international break. City face Tottenham Hotspur on 23 November in their first match following the pause in club football, before games against Feyenoord and Liverpool.

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Ruben Amorim Has Three Manchester United Issues To Address – Details Emerge

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Ruben Amorim Has Three Manchester United Issues To Address - Details Emerge

Ruben Amorim is now Manchester United head coach having begun his reign on Monday.

The Reds boss has a near two week wait until his first match – at Ipswich Town on Sunday week – but there is plenty of work to do between now and then. His first few days will be spent familiarising himself with his new surroundings and staff before the players return from either international duty or a few days off.

United have markedly improved under the now departed Ruud van Nistelrooy but there is plenty of work to be done with the Reds still in the bottom half and with work to do in Europe. Amorim has three clear priorities.

Amorim will no doubt want to implement a style and put his own stamp on this misfiring United side but priority number one is results. The Reds are 14th in the Premier League following the weekend defeat to West Ham and are closer to the relegation zone than the top four.

The first task is to climb the table and maximise the potential of an immediate fixture list that includes several home matches and several fixtures against bottom half sides. United also need to find victories in the Europa League having managed just one in four outings. Going out at the first hurdle is unthinkable and Amorim must ensure United are at least involved in the play-offs come the new year.

Amorim’s Sporting hit seven in his first match in charge while he was able to lift the title within 18 months. He knows how to get results quickly.

United have struggled for goals this season and their two most recent striker acquisitions, Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund, have yet to fully convince. The latter has the potential to become a focal point of the attack while Zirkzee’s role remains uncertain given his lack of goalscoring prowess.

Amorim could use both’s tune-up to ensure United can turn chances into goals. It wasn’t too long ago that Marcus Rashford was enjoying the season of his career, yet he regressed last term—though the early signs this season have been promising. Restoring confidence up top feels like a big priority.

And United can look at Viktor Gyokeres for inspiration. Not so long ago he was in the Championship with Coventry, he’s exploded onto the world stage at Sporting with almost a goal a game and Amorim has played a role in helping the frontman take his game to the next level.

Old Trafford used to be a place of intimidation, where teams were beaten in the tunnel. Now it’s nothing more than a welcome mat.

United have lost the fortress that served them so well and if they can find a tempo, style and intensity to worry teams and lift the fans, they can begin rebuilding that Old Trafford fear factor. United’s support, particularly away, is superb and if Amorim can hit the ground running with the basic template expected of United – front-foot football, attacking intent, effort and intensity – then players and supporters can start to create a club with a clear identity.

Sporting’s final home match under Amorim showed how united the club was, with a thumping 4-1 win over Manchester City, where players, managers, and fans were all together. Amorim fostered that, with results and success helping, but it was only a little over 12 months before his arrival that the unrest was so patent at the club that fans stormed the training ground in protest.

Manchester United Evening

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