Dominic Solanke: England's nomination rewards the Tottenham striker's form and persistence

Dominic Solanke's England call-up is a classic case of being in the right place at the right time – and the same was true for interim coach Lee Carsley when he carried out a scouting mission for Tottenham's striker at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Solanke's late development, which was in full swing at Bournemouth last season and led to a £65m move to Spurs in the summer, has seen him make a 15-minute substitute appearance for the first time since his only international cap Was called into the England squad for a goalless game draw against Brazil at Wembley in November 2017.

It is also a well-deserved reward for the sheer persistence of a player who has achieved great things since his time as part of the England Under-17 team that won the European Championship in 2014, scoring a goal in the final against the Netherlands that ended up being 4th :0 was won. 1 in penalty shootouts.

Solanke played just one game for Chelsea and a move to Liverpool in July 2017 fell through as he scored just once in 27 games. His chances were limited by the fact that he was behind the world-class trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino under then-coach Jürgen Klopp's pecking order.

He moved to Bournemouth for £19m in January 2019 and it was there that Solanke finally began to fulfill his potential, scoring 77 goals in 216 games, including 21 in 42 appearances last season.

However, former Liverpool manager Klopp remained an admirer, saying ahead of his side's trip to Bournemouth in January: “I'm so happy for Dom because when we signed him we were all so excited about his talent.”

“He had so much potential but it’s Liverpool and we had other good strikers too.”

“Dom probably wasn’t the most skilled yet, but the talent was obvious.”

The move to Spurs has given the 27-year-old a bigger stage to showcase his qualities, but it was his performance under the watchful eye of Carsley in the 3-0 win at Manchester United that sealed his inclusion in England .

Solanke not only scored Spurs' third goal. He also provided a comprehensive account of the art of the main striker at a time when Carsley needed someone in that position.

Ivan Toney, who played at Euro 2024, has since decided to continue his career in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ahli and is not in the England squad for the time being.

The stats show how Solanke combined tireless running and work with power against United, the central figure around which players like Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski revolved to such great effect.