'The team I've supported as a young boy...' - Reported Liverpool target releases gracious Instagram post after Brentford draw 🤝

The 25-year-old had been tenuously linked with an Anfield switch in the summer

Described as a force in the box - both aerially and otherwise - Ivan Toney lived up to his billing in the 3-3 goal fest that was Liverpool’s meeting with Brentford at the weekend.

The Englishman didn’t make the scoresheet on the day but contributed an assist for the Bees’ opener and was otherwise a thorny presence in the Reds’ backline throughout the entire encounter.

Interestingly, the former Peterborough United frontman had been looked at by Liverpool during the summer as a potential transfer target - according to some reports.

As a boyhood Liverpool supporter, it’s a match that could have been made in heaven, had the recruitment team so desired it (or perhaps had the finances stretched to a second signing beyond Ibrahima Konate).

Post-game, Toney reiterated his attachment to the Anfield-based outfit on his personal Instagram account.

At 25 years of age (having only recently turned 25, we should add), the powerful attacker fits reasonably well within the average age profile guiding much of the recruitment team’s decision-making.

It’s worth also not forgetting that this was the man Brentford chose to replace fellow reported Liverpool target Ollie Watkins (now at Aston Villa).

With qualities like link-up play, off-the-ball movement and aerial threat highlighted, it’s not difficult to imagine the Englishman being considered amongst a range of potential targets.

Indeed, the reality of the situation is that we’re considered likely to part ways with one of the front-three in the near future.

Realistically, extending Mohamed Salah’s contract is an eventuality that the club is most likely to pursue above all else, which leaves us wondering what to do with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

We won’t want to see all three of our prestigious front-three grow old together, which means one of Mane or Firmino is likely to exit sooner rather than later.

With link-up play and off-the-ball movement the latter’s forte, it may be worth taking a closer look at Toney with a view to later bringing him into the fold as a potential successor to the Anfield favourite.

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