Ivan Toney hopes England can ‘kick on’ after narrowly avoiding Euro 2024 exit

Ivan Toney was “annoyed” to be brought on so late against Slovakia but pledged to be ready whenever called upon as England look to “kick on” from their Euro 2024 near miss.

Gareth Southgate’s side were moments away from an embarrassing exit akin to the defeat to Iceland eight years earlier as stoppage time ebbed away on Sunday evening.

Toney made his frustration known as the England manager brought him on for his major tournament debut four minutes into added time in Gelsenkirchen, but the late move worked out.

The 28-year-old’s presence helped allow for Jude Bellingham’s stunning 95th-minute equaliser, with the Brentford striker then smartly heading across for Harry Kane to seal a 2-1 extra-time triumph.

Asked how he made up with Southgate, Toney said: “By winning! Every player is going to have a bit of a hump at not playing games and with a minute to go you want a bit more than that.

“But we managed to get the equaliser and then it was up to me to put myself in a better space, fix my mood and then get on with the game. I managed to do that and managed to contribute.

“It is going to be tough for all of us because we are used to playing week in, week out for our clubs, so it is always tough.

“But from the beginning of my career I have been down this route before of being a sub and being patient.

“I guess I have to do that again now and hopefully if I get a chance I can take it.”

Toney is prepared to bide his time in Germany and credits Brentford’s sports psychologist for helping him reset from pre-introduction frustration to make an influence on the field.

“There’s a guy called Michael Caulfield at Brentford, who is always talking about controlling your emotions, and I feel like in that moment it was time to control your