Ivan Toney making long-awaited return to football TOMORROW in behind-closed-doors game following betting ban

IVAN TONEY is set to return to action for Brentford on Tuesday in a behind closed doors game.

The England international, 27, is serving an eight-month ban for breaching FA betting rules and cannot return to competitive action until January 17 at the earliest.

AlamyIvan Toney will play in a behind closed doors game on Tuesday[/caption]

Toney was Brentford’s talisman before his banReuters

But he returned to training last month and is now beginning to make his way back to match sharpness.

According to The Athletic, Brentford boss Thomas Frank has held “multiple meetings” with Toney and his coaching staff over the past couple of weeks to work out the best way to get him in shape.

Toney’s contract runs out at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

And he has recently been linked with a move to the likes of Chelsea or Arsenal in January.

Frank was quizzed prior to Brentford‘s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest on Sunday as to whether Toney has played his last game for the club.

To which he replied: “I don’t think so.

“I don’t want to sell him. He is a fantastic player. He has been so good for us and scored a lot of goals. I just want to keep him for the rest of his contract.

“It’s up to Phil (Giles, director of football) and Matthew (Benham, Brentford’s owner) to take that decision. I hope he will still play games for us.”

However, Frank did appear to open the door to the potential sale of Toney when appearing on Monday Night Football in September.

Discussing the prospect of Toney leaving, he said: “So far we’ve only sold one in the Premier League, that was David Raya – or that’s a loan but probably will be a sale in the future, I guess.

“I think every club in the world are a selling club except five or six clubs. We are a selling club, if the right price is there.

“I think if it’s the right time for the player to go, from my perspective that’s not my decision that would be Phil [Giles, director of football] or Matthew [Benham, Brentford’s owner] in the end.

“Then I think if they have developed well with us, been on the journey, and now they’re proven good enough to go to the top clubs, then I think it’s the right thing, if it’s the right price.”