Dominic Solanke: The Cherries' Cherry on Top in Attack

"My conscience tells me that if, for example, [Lewis] Baker, [Izzy] Brown, and [Dominic] Solanke are not national team players in a few years, I should blame myself. They are part of a process the club started without me. "At this moment, we have players who will be Chelsea players. And when they become Chelsea players, they will become England players, almost for sure," - Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, July 2014.

From those three players, Brown retired from football last April after undergoing two Achilles surgeries in the span of four months, whilst Baker has emerged as a regular in midfield since joining EFL Championship side Stoke City in January 2022. Only one of them, however, has played for the England national team, with Solanke making his first and only appearance for the Three Lions on November 14, 2017, coming off the bench in a friendly against Brazil.

It has been one decade since Solanke won the 2014 U-17 Euros with England and seven years since he took home the Golden Ball after leading England to victory in the 2017 U-17 World Cup, ending a 51-year wait for an international title, but it seems that Solanke could very well be forcing himself into Gareth Southgate's consideration as he looks to beat out the likes of Ollie Watkins, Eddie Nketiah, Ivan Toney and Callum Wilson and make the England squad for next summer's Euros.

Despite entering halftime down 0-2, Bournemouth escaped Loftus Road with a 3-2 victory and progressed to the next round of the FA Cup. That's now seven wins in nine for the Cherries.@free__flowing on Bournemouth's recent turnaround under Andoni Iraola: https://t.co/dpGndk8NK9pic.twitter.com/jOeta6SZoG— Breaking The Lines (@BTLvid) January 6, 2024