Ivan Toney will captain Brentford when he returns against Nottingham Forest on Saturday after an eight-month ban for breaching gambling regulations.
Toney’s suspension ended this week and he took to social media to celebrate by posting a GIF of a man holding his arms aloft, with the slogan “free!” on the bottom of the image.
As well as the ban, the 27-year-old was also fined £50,000 ($63,000) and warned about his future conduct for 232 breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules.
Toney’s last competitive match was in Brentford’s 1-0 defeat at Liverpool on May 6.
But he has been allowed to train with his team-mates since September and Bees boss Thomas Frank said he would give the England striker the captain’s armband to mark his return.
“He (Toney) is buzzing. He’s very committed and excited. He can’t wait,” Frank told reporters on Friday.
“He will start tomorrow and he will lead the team out as Christian Norgaard is injured.
