Dominic Solanke is putting his hand up for England selection as he continued his excellent goal scoring form for Bournemouth this Saturday.
The former Chelsea and Liverpool forward found the net for the 16th time in the Premier League this season as the Cherries beat Everton 2-1 at home.
Solanke broke the deadlock after 64 minutes, only for his header to be cancelled out late on by Beto. But they still managed to come away with all three points after Seamus Coleman chested the ball into his own net in injury time.
The result leaves Bournemouth on 38 points after 29 games and well out of the relegation conversation. Their star striker, meanwhile, is still hungry for more goals.
“It’s massive,” Solanke told Sky Sports. “We want to finish the season strongly. To get the three points is massive.
“We know how Everton play. They are a physical team. It was crucial to get the first goal.
“I go into every game looking to score and I get a bit disappointed when I don’t. I’ve set small targets. Twenty is the next target I’d like to hit.”
Debate has raged over which striker should be understudy to Harry Kane in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024; Ollie Watkins or Ivan Toney. The former has scored the same number of goals for Aston Villa this season, while the latter has four, albeit in just 11 games.
But teammate Adam Smith believes Solanke should be the one on the plane to Germany next summer.
“I’ve said it all along: he should be in the England squad,” the defender insisted. “He is a top player, a top professional who can do everything.
“I don’t really understand why he isn’t in the England squad. Maybe because he plays for little old Bournemouth. He’s a top player and if he keeps scoring goals like this I am sure he will get in the squad.”
Last month Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe backed Solanke to play for England, while Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said he is “up there with the greatest”.
