‘He’s sent a message’: Alan Shearer hails ‘dominant’ player once sold by Newcastle United

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Alan Shearer has praised Ivan Toney after the Brentford striker turned in a match-winning performance against Manchester City.

Nobody was really giving Brentford much of a chance of picking up a result as they headed away to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Bees were outstanding though with Ivan Toney heading the opener before Phil Foden levelled it up for an off-colour City side.

City pressed and pressed for the winner but were hit on the break late on with Josh Dasilva finding Toney for a tap-in to win the game.

Alan Shearer has praised Ivan Toney

It just had to be Toney, didn’t it?

The Brentford hitman catapulted himself into England contention with superb performances in front of goal this season.

Yet when Gareth Southgate named his England squad for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, he went with Newcastle United’s Callum Wilson instead.

It looked like one of three; Toney, Wilson or Tammy Abraham.

Southgate had to pick somebody to support Harry Kane up top in Qatar and – despite the concerns over his injury record – Southgate picked Wilson.

Toney will naturally be gutted. Few England strikers can really match his aerial ability and physicality with Toney offering something completely different.

Toney showed his quality with that brace against City and he has understandably earned major praise.

Pundit and Premier League legend Alan Shearer told Match of the Day that Toney ‘sent a message’ to Southgate with his display against City.

Shearer added that Toney was ‘dominant’ against the City defence and that was shown with Brentford going direct from goalkeeper to Toney throughout.

“I think he’s sent a message to Gareth Southgate, don’t you?” said Shearer. “You can see with the passes from the goalkeeper up to Toney, he was dominant,” he added.

It’s somewhat ironic that Shearer is praising Toney some four years since his beloved Newcastle sold the Brentford striker.

Newcastle snapped up Toney with the idea of him becoming a first-team player in the future after emerging at Northampton Town.

That never really happened but Toney has done nothing but find the back of the net ever since Newcastle sold him.

There were strong rumours over the summer of Newcastle wanting to re-sign Toney so who knows, maybe Shearer will see Toney in black and white strips again yet.