England manager, Gareth Southgate has come out to blast the extent of Ivan Toney’s eight-month ban from the FA. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.
According to him, he does not agree with making sure Toney is not part of the football community until the end of his ban, because he is injured at the moment and needs help to be fit.
Southgate added that he believes the striker can still make England’s squad for Euro 2024 despite his current reality.
His words, “I have spoken with him. I don’t know if that’s allowed, by the way. If it isn’t then they can ban me and not add to his.”
“Look, the ban is the ban. It is what it is. I think he recognised an accepted the punishment. What bothers me is we’ve got to look after people. He’s injured at the moment, what does he do about getting fit?”
“How do we give him some structure over the next few months that he can develop himself or be a better person at the end of it or have experiences that he might not experience? I don’t like the idea that we just leave somebody so they are not allowed to be a part of the football community.”
“I don’t think that’s how we should work, I don’t think that’s how the best rehabilitation programmes would work. But he knows that we picked him because we felt until there was a charge, he should be allowed to play.”
“When he comes back, if he plays well then we’ll pick him. It won’t have any bearing but I think he’ll have additional motivation through what he is experiencing. I think he is a resilient guy with great character and we are here to support.”
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