Dominic Solanke Bournemouth
Tottenham Hotspur striker Dominic Solanke made a triumphant return to the pitch, scoring in the Champions League on his first start in eight months. The 28-year-old forward, who had been sidelined due to an ankle problem, is now setting his sights on World Cup and Champions League success with Spurs. Solanke’s return to the starting lineup saw him net the second goal in Tottenham’s 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund, marking a significant milestone in his recovery journey.
Dominic Solanke said: “It wasn’t the cleanest of goals, but I got to see it go in in slow motion which was nice! I’m just excited to be back playing. It was my first start since last season which was a great feeling. To get the win was the most important thing. Hopefully we can build on that now.”
Solanke continued: “It’s been one of the hardest moments of my life. It has been really tough, but I’m just happy to be back now and hope to be fit for the rest of the season. I wouldn’t say it went that far [that I would be out for the season], but it got to a point where I just didn’t quite know when I was going to be back. It’s obviously nice to have that clarity and I didn’t have that, so that was probably the hardest part. But I’m happy to be back now.”
He added: “It’s been on my mind the whole time I’ve been injured. It’s difficult when you don’t have the chance to help and make an impact. That’s one of the hardest parts of being injured.”
Solanke also mentioned: “The World Cup is what everyone wants to be involved in. It’s unfortunate that I missed the first half of the season, but I just want to get back firing for Tottenham now. Obviously, the World Cup is on my mind as well so I’ll be pushing for that too.”
Solanke’s return comes at a crucial time for Tottenham, who have struggled for goals in his absence, currently sitting 14th in the Premier League. His presence is expected to bolster the team’s attacking options as they look to improve their league form. Solanke, who has not featured for England since his injury, is hopeful that his return to form will catch the eye of national team manager Thomas Tuchel ahead of the World Cup.
The forward’s inclusion in the Champions League squad was facilitated by manager Thomas Frank, who activated a UEFA rule to restore Solanke at the expense of Mathys Tel. Solanke’s experience is seen as vital for the young Spurs squad, and he is eager to contribute both on and off the pitch.
Solanke remarked: “Football is tough at the end of the day, there’s a lot of hard decisions that have to be made. The manager made his decision. Obviously I’m delighted to be back in the squad today and help the team. I think I’m probably one of the more experienced players now. It’s something I need to bring to the team. We’ve got a young squad so I need to use my experience to help them.”
He further stated: “I’m not sure to be honest. It’s not right. We need to be better in the league, but I think these things are important, when we go on these cup runs, it gives us extra belief. You saw tonight the performance we put in. It was great to have the crowd there supporting us as well. I think we can use this as a catalyst to kick on and improve in the league as well.”
Tottenham’s upcoming fixture against manager-less Frankfurt presents an opportunity to secure a direct entry into the Champions League round of 16, bypassing the play-off round. Solanke is particularly looking forward to returning to Deutsche Bank Park, where he previously scored a decisive goal in the Europa League quarter-final.
Solanke concluded: “It’s going to be another big game. We have the opportunity when we go there. We’ll be looking forward to it, it’s not going to be easy, but we’ve got another game on the weekend to focus on [first].”
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