England star ‘furious’ with Gareth Southgate sent clear message by Gary Neville

Gary Neville claims Ivan Toney has a right to be furious with Gareth Southgate after being brought on against Slovakia with just two minutes to play. Toney made a decisive impact in sealing a 2-1 win to take England to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, though Southgate admits the striker was “disgusted” with him.

England were moments away from a shock last-16 exit when Southgate brought on Toney as a final throw of the dice. The desperate gambit was immediately rewarded as Toney created space for Jude Bellingham's phenomenal bicycle kick to make it 1-1, before providing a headed assist for Harry Kane’s winner in extra-time.

Southgate confessed afterwards that Toney was initially "disgusted" at entering the fray so late on his tournament debut, seemingly without enough time to make an impact. And pundit Gary Neville empathised with the Brentford striker.

Neville said on ITV: "I can see why Toney was fuming coming on with two minutes to go," before complimenting the 28-year-old’s assist. It was Toney who won the all-important free-kick and nodded it towards Kane at the back post in the very first minute of extra-time.

Southgate said post-match: "I had belief we would get a goal. The boys that came on, Ivan played a big part he was disgusted at me putting him on at that global moment. There's no question he was pretty disgusted when I put him on with a minute to go. I think we've made up now.

"You put a sub on at that time, it is a final throw of the dice. I completely understand it. I don't like putting a player in that position. But I had the feeling that he'd be able to cause the chaos that happened. I have to say the courage shown by the players was fantastic tonight. We haven't come to get to a quarter-final."

The frustration of fans and commentators alike reached new heights on Sunday as England trailed Slovakia by a goal and could not register a single shot on target inside 90 minutes. They were left scratching their heads at why Southgate only brought on Cole Palmer in the 66th minute for Kieran Trippier, when the Three Lions needed inspiration from the bench.

It wasn't until the 84th minute that Eberechi Eze joined the fray, followed shortly by Ivan Toney's brief but pivotal appearance. Toney's involvement in the game proved crucial as he pinned Norbert Gyomber, allowing Bellingham to attack the ball and score the last-gasp equaliser.

Ashley Young, a former Manchester United and England winger, expressed his annoyance towards the delayed substitutions, stating: "We felt the frustrations of the players on the bench and we could see that the changes should've been made so much earlier.

"I called for substitutions at half-time. Maybe then it would've given us the impetus to go on and take the game to Slovakia, not leave it so late. There was so much space between the full-backs and the centre-halves yet we didn't utilise that. When the substitutions came it was too late. Eze coming on was a wrong choice. For me, Palmer and Anthony Gordon should've come on to stretch the back line."

Pundit Michael Dawson also weighed in on Sky Sports, saying: "I'm a huge fan of Ivan Toney. His physicality, his presence, giving the opposition someone else to have to pick up on set pieces. He was another positive coming on. We've got to use these substitutions."

However, Toney did not reveal his own feelings towards being introduced so late when quizzed on Southgate's remarks in his post-match interview. "I didn't play for the first three games, you have to be ready," he told ITV.

"You don't know when your chance is going to come. But I was in the right place at the right time to flick it to the back post. We literally spoke about that before the game kicked off and he put it into the back of the net. Players dropped into positions they don't normally play but we have quality players who are capable of playing anywhere."