Toney: Rafa snub was a blessing

BRENTFORD striker Ivan Toney says it is a “blessing in disguise” that Rafa Benitez did not give him a chance to shine at Newcastle as he prepares for a reunion with the Spaniard this weekend.

Benitez, now in charge of Everton, was manager of Newcastle in 2018 when the club sold Toney to Peterborough.

Since then, the striker has rebuilt his career and he scored a record number of goals in the Championship last season as the Bees won promotion.

“I don’t think I got that chance

[at Newcastle],” Toney told Sky Sports. “Others might think different. But it was a blessing in disguise, I came to Peterborough and found my feet again.

“When he [Benitez] came in I was injured and he kind of said: ‘Put the injured lads at the bottom end’. It was tough to take.”