Ivan Toney has been excluded from Brentford’s team for their Premier League match against Crystal Palace, owing to transfer rumours surrounding the English forward. Thomas Frank, the manager, disclosed prior to the Sunday’s London derby that although no agreement has been finalised for the 28-year-old, who is entering the final year of his contract, his future at the club remains uncertain. Various Premier League clubs, including Arsenal and Manchester United, have allegedly shown interest in Toney, Frank told Sky Sports: “There are a lot of discussions happening around Ivan, specifically about transfers. Due to this we’ve chosen to leave him out of the team.
Despite Toney’s exceptional contributions over the past four years, especially last season, Brentford has demonstrated that they can cope without him,” said Frank. In response to whether Toney, suspended for eight months in the first half of the previous season for violating the Football Association’s gambling rules, has already played his final match for Brentford, Frank answered: “Who can tell? There is interest, but nothing concrete yet.”