BRENTFORD striker Ivan Toney was handed an eight-month ban after being found guilty of breaching the FA’s betting rules in May 2023.
Since then, the 27-year-old has been unable to compete in any domestic competitions or represent England at international level.
For the first three months of the ban, Toney couldn’t train with his Brentford teammates as per the conditions of his ban.
The prolific striker returned to the club’s Robert Rowan Performace Centre on Monday, September 18th.
Toney last featured for the Bees during a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Premier League on May 6th, 2023.
But when will the forward be able to play competitively again?
Ivan Toney can return to competitve action from Wednesday, January 17th, 2024.
This means the earliest the forward can get back on the pitch for Brentford would be for the Bees home clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday, January 20th, 2024.
Toney will be hoping to pick up from where he left off before his ban, as the striker claimed 20 goals in 33 Premier League games last season.
Despite the striker’s eight-month absence from the game, many clubs, including Arsenal and Chelsea, have been reportedly keen on signing the 27-year-old when his ban expires in January.
However, Brentford would require a huge £100m fee to let Toney leave the club during the winter window, according to reports.
Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast in August, Toney said: “It’s like a kid at Christmas — I’m counting down the days until I can train and be around the boys, being in football prison at the moment.
“Being around the boys [training] it will get a little bit easier but at the end of the week there’s no end goal or reward because you can’t play in the match.
“I feel like keeping me away from the [training] ground, if I wasn’t as strong in my head, that would break some people. We talk about mental health and these things. What’s that doing to a player who is not allowed in the environment? Keeping him away from the training ground knowing that football is their life and it’s all they’ve done from a young age, how is that going to help them at all?
“It doesn’t add up with the things they push forward. The whole football community is big on mental health and then the FA do this and pushes me away from the whole football environment.
“It’s not a nice feeling and the whole purpose of not being allowed at the training ground is baffling for me.”
