Dominic Solanke Receives an England Call-Up After 7 Years but James Maddison, Morgan Rogers and Harry Maguire Miss Out

Interim England manager Lee Carsley has handed Tottenham Hotspur’s record signing Dominic Solanke his first call-up in almost seven years. The 27-year-old has been selected after hitting a purple patch in which he has scored in three consecutive games for Tottenham.

Since moving to London this summer, Solanke has scored three goals in six games. He made his debut for Spurs in their Premier League opener against Leicester City. Unfortunately, the 27-year-old striker injured his ankle during his debut, which resulted in him being sidelined for almost two weeks. However, since returning from injury, Dom Solanke has been crucial in Tottenham’s resurgence in recent weeks. Apart from scoring goals in three consecutive games, Solanke’s link-up play and poaching instincts have added another dimension to Tottenham’s attack under Ange Postecoglou. 

Before representing Tottenham, Dominic Solanke enjoyed his most productive season to date at Bournemouth. He netted 21 times in 42 games for the Cherries. But despite his impressive form, Solanke was overlooked for the 2024 Euros by then-England manager Gareth Southgate, who opted for Harry Kane, Ollie Watkins, and Ivan Toney instead. Solanke’s only senior England cap came back in 2017 while at Liverpool, when he made a brief second-half appearance against Brazil. Though he didn’t see much action for the national team in the past, this time around, Solanke is set to play a more pivotal role. And with his recent move to Spurs, he's more determined than ever to seize this golden opportunity and make his mark for England. 

However, his club teammate James Maddison has missed out on selection. Besides Maddison, Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers has also missed out on selection. However, he will be a part of England’s U-21 setup. Other prominent names who haven’t been included in Carsley’s squad are Manchester United’s Harry Maguire and West Ham’s captain, Jarrod Bowen. Meanwhile, Chelsea’s Levi Colwill has been selected after featuring in both of England’s Nations League games last month.  

England will host Greece at Wembley Stadium on Thursday before heading to Finland on Sunday for their Nations League B Group 2 matches. The Three Lions kicked off the group stage in style last month, securing wins over both the Republic of Ireland and Finland. Now, they'll be looking to keep that momentum going as they aim to strengthen their position at the top of the group.