Dominic Solanke and Tottenham go to Old Trafford ‘without fear of anyone’ | Tottenham Hotspur

Dominic Solanke must have been a little nervous on the opening day, especially because of the size of the transfer fee; also the idea of ​​whose footsteps he should follow. It was the second Saturday in August, his £65 million move from Bournemouth to Tottenham had been announced, and he was being introduced at the club’s stadium ahead of the final pre-season friendly.

Harry Kane was there, the Spurs hero, who was back at Bayern Munich for the game, felt the love of the crowd, also came into the home dressing room and felt the love even more. If there was a moment to illustrate the scale of the challenge facing Solanke, it was surely this.

There were others. He mentions his “nervous start with the injury”, referring to the ankle injury he sustained on his debut at Leicester in the opening round of the Premier League. It ruled him out of two games, but no one wanted to think about it. The focus was on a single statistic that defines every striker, and when Solanke drew a blank in the Carabao Cup game at Coventry, it was crossed out: three appearances, zero goals.

English football is obsessed with quick starts; If a high-profile newcomer can pull it off, he can buy himself a disproportionate amount of credit. But the opposite is also true. And so, the Friday before last, Ange Postecoglou was asked about how Solanke was coping with everything, the fees, the pressure and, yes, the goal drought. The Spurs manager’s advice? Gosh, people need to relax, “take a breath, do some yoga…”

Solanke smiles. Perhaps he can do that more easily now that the burden of waiting for that all-important breakthrough is over, with his wild win against Brentford last Saturday followed by another in Thursday’s Europa League game against Qarabag. Not that Solanke sees it that way.

“After just a few games it was probably a bit premature, like I said, with the start I had,” he says. “No matter how much you are bought for and which club you play for, there will always be pressure. We have to deal with that.”

Solanke admits that “the pressure increases when you go to a bigger club” and he has been here before – at Chelsea, where he stormed through the youth team as a prodigy, and then at Liverpool, where he signed as a free agent Year 2017.

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

Mourinho gave Solanke one game in 2014-15 and loaned him out to Vitesse Arnhem the following season. Then there was the deep freeze under Antonio Conte in 2016/17. 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 at Liverpool – in a 0-0 draw with Brazil at Wembley. Things didn’t work out for him at Anfield, mainly for three reasons. They were Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané. Solanke was on the outside in six games, unable to find a rhythm and scoring more than once. He moved to Bournemouth for £17 million in January 2019.

If Bournemouth were the creators of Solanke, especially in his last top-flight season with 19 goals, then he feels he has found the perfect complement at Spurs, a team that is never looking to go backwards under Postecoglou, and a furious one at that Victory brings speed. It looks set to be a clash of styles when they visit Manchester United on Sunday, a crucial game for both clubs. Under Erik ten Hag, United have no problem repeating a move: they take a patient, positional approach.

“We are not afraid of anyone, so we will go there and be at the forefront,” says Solanke. “One of the reasons I was so excited 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 open up opportunities for me.”

Solanke says he’s “probably still getting there” in terms of peak fitness and performance, but he’s “starting to find a bit of rhythm, which is important”. He isn’t afraid to outline his ambitions – goals and trophies at Spurs, essentially – and these extend to the English scene too. Solanke won the 2014 U17 European Championship and the 2017 U20 World Cup, starring in both games, but he did not extend his one cap.

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

As for Kane and Solanke, he will gain nothing from taking over any mantle from him. “I spoke to him when Bayern came in pre-season and he came into 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’m here now and I want to score as many goals as possible for Tottenham. And hopefully we can win some trophies.”