Ivan Toney reportedly had a disability which meant he was ruled out of Manchester United’s squad this summer.
The former Brentford striker’s long-running flirtation with a move to a top Premier League club ended on August 30 when he sealed a £40million move to Al-Ahli.
He has made a productive start to life in Saudi Arabia, scoring three times in four games, and nearly won on his debut against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.
In August 2023 he revealed his desire to “play for a big club and fight for trophies” but following his return from an eight-month betting ban his list of suitors dwindled despite an ever-reducing price tag attached to his name.
This summer, Manchester United signed Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna for £36.5m, while Arsenal opted not to sign a striker.
Ivan Toney reportedly had a defect that led to him being left out of Manchester United’s summer squad.
The former Brentford star has moved to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli in a deal worth £40m.
United are once again struggling to score goals – bottom side Wolves and Everton have scored as many (five) this season.
They have created 68 chances so far, so getting into the right positions isn’t the problem, it’s taking advantage of them.
The question remains: why didn’t they sign Toney, a proven Premier League talent?
According ESPNHe was disqualified from Erik ten Hag’s roster because he did not pressure defenders with enough energy.
This came despite the Dutch manager being impressed with the Englishman’s goalscoring record.
Clubs often think of investing in the future as they do in guaranteed and immediate success.
Over the past two seasons, United have spent £72m on Rasmus Hojlund, who had scored 10 Serie A goals the previous year, and £36.5m on Zirkzee, who scored 11 goals for Bologna in 2023-24.
This is a far cry from their policy in 2012, when they signed 29-year-old Robin van Persie for £24m from Arsenal on a £250,000-a-week contract in order to win the Premier League that season. Wayne Rooney told him “welcome to Manchester United, mate” on Twitter. Players, as Chelsea have shown, are increasingly treated as long-term assets.
Manchester United have reportedly decided not to sign him because he does not press hard enough.
Erik ten Hag has welcomed young strikers Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee
Toney’s best Premier League season to date was 2022-23, when he scored 20 times to help Brentford finish ninth.
Since his prolific days in League One and the Championship, he has been talked about as an option for top-flight clubs.
However, he only managed to score four times in 17 games since returning from his betting ban and the Bees have been coping well without him.
Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa have scored seven goals between them this season and pose a significant threat as two attacking midfielders.
Brentford took the lead in the first minute against Manchester City and Tottenham, but were unable to hold on to their advantage on either occasion.
