Ivan Toney has seven minutes of international football under Thomas Tuchel. Seven. That is the sum total of his England career since Tuchel took charge, a number that would make most strikers quietly reconsider their international ambitions.

Toney has not done that. Instead, he rebuilt a fractured relationship with his manager, earned a spot in England’s 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and is now waiting patiently in the United States for the moment his number gets called.

How Toney got here

The backstory is not pretty. During a June 2025 England camp, Tuchel was unhappy with Toney’s attitude, which prompted the kind of conversation most players dread having with their manager. Tuchel initiated what have been described as clear-the-air talks, a diplomatic phrase for what was essentially a frank discussion about whether Toney actually wanted to be there.

Toney, to his credit, showed up for it. The conversation happened, the air cleared, and when Tuchel announced England’s 26-man squad around May 22, 2026, Toney’s name was on it.

He was described as something of a wildcard selection, which is a polite way of saying Tuchel sees a specific use case for him rather than a guaranteed starting role. Tuchel has publicly highlighted Toney’s aerial ability and physical presence as qualities England can deploy in high-pressure situations, particularly when a game needs to be forced open late.

Two seasons in Saudi Arabia

The platform for Toney’s redemption arc has been Al-Ahli, the Saudi Pro League club that signed him from Brentford for €40 million in August 2024. Moving to Saudi Arabia at 28 could have been read as a player cashing out. It has not played out that way.

Toney has put together two solid seasons in Jeddah, maintaining the kind of form that keeps a manager’s attention even when the league itself does not always command it. Tuchel, for his part, has been watching. The striker’s box presence and his effectiveness from set pieces are qualities that translate regardless of which league a player is operating in.

His path to this World Cup has also included a FIFA betting ban that kept him out of the game for a period, a complication that disrupted his momentum at a time when his club form would otherwise have put him in serious contention for major tournaments.

The role Tuchel has in mind

England’s frontline at this World Cup is anchored by Harry Kane, a player Toney would theoretically complement rather than directly challenge for starts. Kane’s movement, finishing range, and link-up play are different from Toney’s more physical, aerial profile. In theory, Toney gives Tuchel a Plan B that does not simply replicate what is already on the pitch.

Toney’s conversation with his sons after England’s 0-0 draw with Ghana in the group stage captured something genuine about where he is mentally. He brought two of his three boys to the tournament, a detail that suggests a player grounded in something beyond the football.