In an interview with The Guardian, the 29-year-old former Brentford forward addressed criticism of his move to Saudi Arabia and defended the quality of the league, which has drawn a wave of international stars in recent seasons.
“For me, [the Pro League] is on a par with the Premier League,” Toney said. “If [Al-Ahli] were in the Premier League, we’d give it a good go and be close to the top four. It’s a quality league and people shouldn’t turn their noses up at it.”
Toney, who scored 23 goals last season, second only to Cristiano Ronaldo, said the level of competition has surprised many and highlighted Al-Hilal’s 4-3 win over Manchester City in a recent Club World Cup friendly as evidence of Saudi clubs’ strength.
“I was going to tweet, but I would have got killed back home, so I kept my mouth shut,” he added. “But people saw the quality of Hilal.”
The England international admitted the transition to playing in Saudi Arabia required an adjustment, particularly due to the climate.
“Somebody should go and try to play in a sauna and see if they can cope,” he said. “There are different blocks of 20 minutes where it is intense, and then it has to slow down and pick up again.”
Now in his second season with Al-Ahli, Toney said he is aiming to surpass last season’s tally and help the team challenge for honours, including in the Asian Champions League.
He also praised the atmosphere in Jeddah, calling it “more chill” than Riyadh. However, he stated that he has adapted to life by the Red Sea.
Toney said he still follows his former club, Brentford, and praised their work ethic. “They’ve never had big names, but every player who comes in works hard. I believe they’ll be good this season.”
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