Brentford striker Ivan Toney has today revealed that he is ‘hungry to return to the pitch’ as he nears the completion of an eight-month ban from football.
The 27-year-old, who is the target of several big clubs around the Premier League, also opened up on his goals for the remainder of the season stating he is hoping to secure a spot in Gareth Southgate‘s England squad for this summer’s Euros.
‘I’m hungry. Hungry and excited,’ he said in an interview with Sky Sports. ‘Being out for so long, especially when you don’t have an injury [is hard]. I’m hungry to get back on the pitch and do what I enjoy doing.’
He added: ‘It’s always unfinished business when you haven’t been playing for a while.
‘It’s in your head. It’s like, I can’t wait to get back and do what everybody’s not expecting me to. I know that there are a lot of people thinking: ‘Can he do this, or can he do that?’, or ‘How’s he gonna be when he gets back?’
‘I know what I’m capable of, so I guess when I get onto the pitch I’ll just do what I do best.’
Toney’s was suspended by the Football Association after he admitted to 232 breaches of the organisation’s regulations on gambling.
He was forbidden from traning with his team-mates during that eight-month period, but has recently been making a gradual comeback to training sice September 17, with his ban set to end on January 16.
The forward also added during the interview that he had ‘fallen out of love with football’ and chose not to watch Brentford during his ban.
In his absence, Thomas Frank’s side have struggled of late, dropping to 19th in the Premier League, having lost their last five Premier League outings.
The Danish manager’s woes were compounded after the Bees announced that Bryan Mbeumo would be ruled out for an extended period with an injury.