Ivan Toney: Why Thomas Tuchel brought the striker back into the England squad

This season, Tony scored 32 goals in 32 games and finished second in domestic goalscoring.

What those goals are worth outside of Europe’s big five leagues remains to be seen, but in numbers alone his record rivals that of any English striker.

He is one of three centre-forwards selected by Tuchel, and with Ollie Watkins also in the squad, 26 places in the squad are up for grabs.

In the past, in major tournaments, teams of three lions consisted of four or five men for the right position.

The argument against his inclusion begs the question, why would England need a forward other than Kane and Watkins, given the switches in the modern formation and the dearth of quality options for that position?

Detractors argue that Tony’s place should be used to accommodate another of those multi-talented No.10s left behind.

But ex-Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss Tuchel could have a good chance to leave Palmer and Foden, who have yet to reach their former heights, in 2025-26.

Instead, he went for a player full of confidence and used to the high temperatures England will face at tournaments in America, Mexico and Canada this summer.

“We can see that he still collects the numbers. When we follow the results, situations, situations, situations, I think he has special skills that can help us,” Tuchel added.

“I think he can be a very useful addition to Harry Kane, he can be in the box when we push for a goal.

“He can take attention away from other strikers, he’s a natural presence in the box, he’s a natural finisher, he can help us with set-pieces – he’s very strong in there. He’s very good at using his body and not forgetting, he’s a world-class penalty taker. He ticks some of the boxes we need ticked.”

In the year The Three Lions, who reached the semi-finals in Russia 2018, face Croatia, who finished in the quarter-finals in Qatar four years ago, in their Group L opener on Wednesday 17 June (21:00 BST).