Thomas Frank has urged Ivan Toney to use Tottenham’s Harry Kane as his example as the pair prepare to go head-to-head on Thursday night - but insisted the Brentford striker is a better penalty taker.
There are parallels between the careers of the two strikers, who both earned their stripes with numerous loan spells in the Football League.
While Kane has long since been recognised as one of the planet’s leading forwards, Toney is only now getting the opportunity to prove himself at the highest level. But after an impressive start to life in the Premier League, his manager believes he has the potential to follow in the England captain’s footsteps.
“I think in this international world you can look across the world and look at every different kind of striker but if you can look at your countryman and see one of the world’s best strikers, then why not look at him?” Frank said ahead of Thursday night’s clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“Of course, [Toney] needs to prove it on a consistent level. If you’re scoring 30 goals in the Championship, that proves you are a good striker. Then it’s taking it to the next level - so far he’s scored four, so if he keeps scoring a decent amount of goals and developing his game, I think he’ll have a decent chance.”
Frank called Toney the best penalty taker on the planet after his winning goal from the spot in Sunday’s triumph over Everton, and comparing the 25-year-old to Kane, he added: “They’re two very good players - one thing Ivan is better at is penalties!”
