Striker pleased to join Town on loan
Shrewsbury Town’s new on-loan striker Ivan Toney has said he is delighted to have linked up with Micky Mellon’s side and revealed the interest had been there for some time.
Toney joins from Championship giants Newcastle United until January and the 20-year-old revealed he turned other clubs down to join Town.
And now the former Northampton Town striker is eager to get started and score goals in the blue and amber shirt.
“Shrewsbury is a club that has been after me for a while,” he told ShrewsWeb.
“I spoke to the manager a week ago and he said he was desperate to get me in because he likes my style of play and he wanted that bit more to add to the team. Hopefully I can produce that for him.
“He says all the positive things. His mentality is a winning one which is always good to have in a manager and it rubs off on the side.
“This is the club I want to be at which is why I am here in this kit and looking forward to the first game.”
Toney, who has made a couple of appearances for the Magpies and had a spell on loan at Barnsley last season, says he can often produce a moment of magic out of nowhere.
“I am sure I have got a lot to bring to the team and get the club to where it deserves to be,” he said.
“I feel like I can bring that bit of magic. Say if I am not having the best of games and am huffing and puffing out of the blue I can pull out something spectacular so I am sure the fans will see some of that.
“I am an all round player – I think I am good with the ball, can make runs in behind and I am strong. I am aggressive sometimes – I can look after myself.
“On a personal side, I want to get goals under my belt and become a better player and get Shrewsbury higher.
“Then if I am doing well maybe Newcastle will recall me and would need me in their side but whilst I am here I will be doing a job for Shrewsbury and getting them where they need to be and where they want to be going which is up the league.”
Toney is the latest in a line of loan players to join Town under Micky Mellon, following on from the likes of Sullay Kaikai and Jack Grimmer.
And the youngster is keen to work with Mellon to improve his game, much like he did with Kaikai and Grimmer.
“The manager is obviously doing his job right if the players are coming here and going back to their main club better but hopefully he does the job with me and I do well and get goals under my belt then head back up to Newcastle on a starting basis or coming off the bench,” he said.
“Newcastle have said I need to play games and get some goals. Everybody wants goals in their teams.
“I can’t wait to get started and get on that pitch and do my job.”
Toney has trained with his new teammates for the first time today and is pleased with what he has seen.
“Everyone is very welcoming. I have met them all now and they are a nice bunch of lads and I can’t wait to play with them,” he said.
“It is a talented squad here. I did my research and looked at a few of the players and remember saying I couldn’t wait to play with a few of those and here I am playing with them!
“I played here when I was at Northampton. It is a great stadium and a great bunch of fans and I can’t wait to get out there and play in front of them.
“Some Championship clubs are not like this so to be in League One and have a stadium like this and the background it has it deserves to be higher.”