Ivan Toney: Brentford Striker Scores Freekick in First Game Back From 8 Months Suspension

• Ivan Toney returned to action after eight months of betting suspension
• Thomas Frank named him in the starting 11 and captained Brentford
• 19 minutes into his return, he scored a beautiful free kick to equalise

Ivan Toney is back from his eight-month suspension, and he marked it with a beautiful freekick to draw level for Brentford against Nottingham Forest.

He was trusted to start by Thomas Frank despite having yet to have competitive minutes under his belt for over 200 days. He was handed the captain's armband.

Toney served eight months suspension after he was found guilty of 232 of the 262 breaches of FA betting rules, which he was accused of, close to the end of last season.

Per Sky Sports, the first four months of his ban did not include training, and he only returned to training with the team in September. He was also fined £50,000.

Berbatov tips Rooney for Man Utd job in future despite Birmingham axe

Football

Toney scores freekick on return

The 27-year-old wasted no time on his return and took only 19 minutes to mark his return with a goal; a beautiful freekick at that and social media erupted.

He had been playing in-house games weeks before his official return and scored a hat-trick against Southampton during a behind-the-scenes game.

The Bees won't be able to hold on to him for long. Per Football London, Chelsea and Arsenal are reportedly interested in his signature, with the Gunners said to be leading the race.

The London club have placed a price tag of £100 million on him, but that is said to scare suitors away in January, and a lower price would do the deal in the summer.

Exciting news! We have a WhatsApp channel 🤩

➡️ Click to join our channel for all your favourite sports news.

Ivan Toney commits to Brentford

Ivan Toney: Arsenal transfer target scores hat-trick in Brentford friendly

Football

Sports Brief reported on Toney committing himself to Brentford at least until the summer in his first interview after his eight-month betting suspension ended.

The suspension ruled him out of a move last summer, but after the support he received from the club and fans, he claimed he has a lot to pay back to the team, thus ruling out the possibility of a January move.