Ivan Toney is “one of the best” link-up strikers Pep Guardiola has ever seen, the Manchester City boss has revealed.
The Premier League champions are tasked with keeping the England centre-forward quiet when they host Brentford on Tuesday even, a game that was postponed due to the club’s involvement in the Fifa Club World Cup.
Toney has scored 36 goals since helping the Bees win promotion to the top flight three years ago, provoking intense speculation over his future, with Arsenal and Chelsea linked with a big money transfer for his services.
Guardiola knows full well how lethal Toney is in front of goal having scored twice in three encounters with Man City, one of which came earlier this month in a 3-1 home defeat for Brentford.
“He is so dangerous,” Guardiola told his pre-match press conference on Monday afternoon.
“He’s a master to use his body for the second ball, good finishing, you can link with him – he’s one of the best I’ve ever seen [at that].
“A few weeks ago the goal we conceded [to him] we defended not properly but he did it really well.”
In January the 27-year-old returned to action after serving a 260-day suspension after committing 232 breaches of the FA’s betting rules, for which he was also fined £50,000 and received a warning about his future conduct.
Toney has scored four goals in five games since then.
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