Dominic Solanke and Tottenham go to Old Trafford ‘afraid of no one’ | Tottenham Hotspur

Dthe ominous Solanke must have had some nerves on the opening day, especially because of the size of the transfer fee; also the idea of ​​whose boots he had to fill. It was the second Saturday in August, his £65 million move to Tottenham from Bournemouth had been announced and there he was introduced at the club’s stadium before their final pre-season friendly.

Harry Kane was there, the Spurs hero who was back at Bayern Munich for the match. He felt the love from the audience, also entered the dressing room and felt the love even more. If there was a moment to magnify the magnitude of the challenge Solanke faced, this was certainly it.

There have been others. He mentions his “nasty start with the injury” and he is referring to the ankle damage he suffered during his debut with Leicester in the opening round of Premier League matches. It ruled him out of two games, but no one wanted to think about that. The focus was on a single statistic that defines every striker, and when Solanke scored a clean sheet in the Carabao Cup tie in Coventry, it was thrown out: three appearances, zero goals.

English football has an obsession with fast starts; if a high-profile signing can land one, they can buy themselves a disproportionate amount of credit. But the reverse is just as true. And so Ange Postecoglou was asked the day before yesterday about how Solanke handled everything: the compensation, the pressure and, yes, the drought of goal. The Spurs manager’s advice? Gosh, people need to chill out, “breathe, do a little yoga…”

Solanke laughs. Perhaps he can do that more easily now that the weight of waiting for the all-important breakthrough is gone, his poacher’s finish against Brentford last Saturday, followed by another in Thursday’s Europa League match against Qarabag. Not that Solanke sees it that way.

“It was probably a bit premature after just a few games with, as I say, the start I had,” he says. “It doesn’t matter how much you are bought for or what club you play for, there will always be pressure. It’s something we have to deal with.”

Solanke does admit that “when you go to a bigger club there is extra pressure” and he has been there before – at Chelsea, where he rose through the youth ranks as a child prodigy, and then at Liverpool, for whom he signed as a free agent . in 2017.

“I haven’t had the smoothest journey of my career,” Solanke says, and he can say that again. His first senior manager at Chelsea, José Mourinho, said in the summer of 2014 that if Solanke was not an England international within a few years, he would blame himself.

Mourinho gave Solanke one match in the 2014/2015 season and loaned him to Vitesse Arnhem the following season. Then there was the deep freeze under Antonio Conte in 2016/2017. Solanke did not renew his Chelsea contract and did not play at all.

At least Mourinho didn’t have to blame himself. Solanke made his England debut in November of his first season with Liverpool – in a 0-0 draw at Wembley against Brazil. He didn’t succeed at Anfield, mainly for three reasons. They were Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane. Solanke was on the outside and started six games, but failed to find any rhythm and score more than once. He joined Bournemouth in January 2019 for £17 million.

If Bournemouth were the ‘making of Solanke’, especially his top season with 19 goals last time out, then he feels he has found the perfect match at Spurs, a team that never wants to take a step back under Postecoglou and looks furious makes. pace. It threatens to be a clash of styles when they visit Manchester United on Sunday, a crucial match for both clubs. Under Erik ten Hag, United have no problem returning to a reuse: they take a patient, positional approach.

“We’re not afraid of anyone, so we go out there and lead the way,” Solanke said. “One of the reasons I was so happy to come to Tottenham was the style of play. It suits me. I love it. If the team plays well, we can dominate games. The way we play will create opportunities for me.”

Solanke says he is “probably still getting there” in terms of peak fitness and sharpness, but is “starting to get a bit of rhythm, which is important”. He doesn’t shy away from outlining his ambitions – basically goals and trophies at Spurs – and these extend to the English scene. Solanke won the European Under-17 Championship in 2014 and the World Under-20 Championship in 2017, starring in both matches, but has not increased his one full cap.

“Everyone wants to play for their country and it’s definitely something I’m keen to get back into,” he says. ‘Was England part of the idea behind my transfer? Not really. But if you do your job for a club like Tottenham, it is certainly a lot easier to get into the ranks. Tottenham is my main target. But then hopefully I can get into the England team.”

As for Kane and taking any mantle from him, Solanke will have none of it. “I spoke to him when Bayern came into pre-season and he entered the dressing room,” says Solanke. “He said what you would probably expect: just good things about Tottenham.

“Harry is who he is. I don’t think anyone would want to see him replaced anyway. He is a world-class striker. But I am here now and I want to score as many goals as possible for Tottenham. And hopefully we can win some trophies.”