Former England striker Alan Shearer believes Dominic Solanke could be the man to take Harry Kane’s place in the national team setup if he lives up to his potential following his big-money move to Tottenham.
Solanke had been unable to make a serious mark in earlier spells at Chelsea and Liverpool, and spent two year in the Championship after joining Bournemouth in January 2019 and suffering relegation the following season.
The 26 year old has been well and truly found his feet since, however, racking up an impressive 73 goals in 170 appearances in all competitions last season, including averaging a goal every other Premier League game in an ever-present season for Bournemouth last term.
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Shearer: Solanke could displace Harry Kane for England
That led Tottenham Hotspur to splash out a reported £55m-65m for Solanke’s services earlier this month – and speaking to Betfair, Shearer said: “I’m really looking forward to watching Dominic Solanke this season because he’ll want to carry on from a great season with Bournemouth last year. I’m sure he’ll get more chances at Spurs. I hope he does well.
“Solanke could be the missing piece in Spurs’ puzzle. He knows what it’s like to be at a big club and he’s in his prime now, he’s experienced and given his form last year that should give him great confidence.
“Also, knowing that someone is prepared to pay that much money for him will help. Players act in different ways, but he may well love and embrace the fact that someone is prepared to pay for that him and give him great confidence. I think he’ll do really well.
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Alan Shearer thinks Dominic Solanke is capable of taking Harry Kane’s place for England (Image credit: Getty Images)
“There was pressure on Harry Kane at the Euros, I know there were six guys that won the Golden Boot with three goals, but he was one of them despite him not being anywhere near his best.
“So he won’t be ready to give up the England shirt anytime soon, but with lots of international football to come, whoever wants to try and take the England shirt away from Harry Kane will have to go out and score goals.
“Solanke is someone who can do that and he has a great opportunity to do it now at Spurs.”
Solanke currently has just one senior England cap to his name, earned in a November 2017 friendly against Brazil shortly after his move to Liverpool.
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