BURTON UPON TRENT, England (Reuters) – Dominic Solanke has the England shirt from his lone appearance for the national team framed on his wall, and while seven years have passed since he wore it, the Tottenham Hotspur striker said he never gave up hope of another call-up.
The 27-year-old earned his second one — finally — for England interim manager Lee Carsley’s squad for Nations League games against Greece and Finland and hopes he can stick with the team for a while.
“I think over the years, when I do see it (the shirt), I’ve always thought ‘When I get back there and win more caps for my country …'” said Solanke, whose England debut in 2017 was a friendly against Brazil. “Having something like that on the wall is definitely extra motivation.
“I didn’t think it wouldn’t come around,” he added after England’s training session on Tuesday at St. George’s Park. “(I had to) just keep playing well and scoring goals, and I always believed that I would get back here. That was my mindset. I’m thankful to be back here now, and hopefully I can stay here.”
Solanke has scored three goals for Spurs in all competitions this season, having joined the London club from Bournemouth in a deal worth up to 65 million pounds ($85.25 million) in August.
After pouring in 21 goals for Bournemouth last season, Solanke was disappointed to have been left off former England manager Gareth Southgate’s team that finished runners-up to Spain at Euro 2024. He used it as fuel.
“It was definitely something I was pushing for, but there’s so many good players that could represent England, probably one of the strongest in the world, and I didn’t quite manage to make the squad, which I was disappointed about. But that’s football,” he said.
“It’s a dream to play for your country, so when you don’t get selected, it definitely motivates you to work even harder to make the next one.”
The long gap between senior team appearances is surprising considering Solanke was a mainstay with the national age group program, making his debut on the under-16 team in 2012. He helped England win the under-20 World Cup in 2017 and was presented with the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament.
Solanke said his mental strength has been the key to his longevity.
“The mental side of football is just as big these days, because there’s so many ups and downs, a lot going on, on and off the pitch,” he said.
“So it’s important to stay focused and believe in yourself and keep working hard,” he said. “And everyone’s journey is different. Some people have a smooth-sailing career, and some not as smooth. So yes, it’s just about sticking with
it.”
England captain Harry Kane did not train with the team on Tuesday, doing an individualised training session indoors instead. The Bayern Munich striker injured his right leg during a 3-3 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt over the weekend, but the club said he does not have a structural injury.
England are second in Group B2 of the Nations League with six points from two games behind Greece on goal difference. Carsley’s side host the Greeks at Wembley on Thursday before visiting Finland three days later.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
