After a seven-year gap since his inaugural cap in a friendly with Brazil, Dominic Solanke has been welcomed back into the England squad by Lee Carsley. Solanke, who plays as a forward and is 27 years old, has been acknowledged for his sterling performances at Tottenham, having transferred from Bournemouth in the summer for a sum of £55 million (€65 million).
Conversely, Harry Maguire has not been selected, despite being judged fit enough to be part of the Manchester United team against Porto this Thursday. Maguire, aged 31, was unable to play in the Euro 2024 due to injury. Nevertheless, Carsley chose to bring him back for the Nations League matches that took place in September. In Dublin, he played against Ireland, however, he did not partake in the Finland match at Wembley.
In regards to leaving out Maguire, Carsley said, “I have prior experience working with Harry. Our conversation was quite positive. However, I didn’t want to prolong it as he has a match to play. It was essential to explain the reasoning behind his exclusion. We have several outstanding centre-backs whose performance I’m eager to watch. Harry still plays a crucial role in this team and the overall campaign.”
There was no space in the team for Tino Livramento, Jarrod Bowen, or Eberechi Eze; however, Kyle Walker is back after being omitted from the September squad. The defender hadn’t played at a club level in the 2024-25 season when the squad was announced, due to a long post-Euros hiatus. Jude Bellingham makes a comeback as well, having missed the matches against Ireland and Finland in September due to injury.
Solanke, who is hopeful to play in the Nations League matches against Greece at Wembley next Thursday and against Finland in Helsinki three days later, has netted goals in his last three matches for Spurs. Solanke experienced a very successful period with the England youth teams, earning the Under-17 European Championship in 2014 and the Under-20 World Cup three years later. Nonetheless, his sole inclusion with the senior squad up to now has been as a substitute under Gareth Southgate.
Recently, Dominic Solanke expressed his aspirations for the upcoming season, with one of his primary goals being to secure a position within England’s team. “The aim of every player is to represent their homeland, which is an ambition I’m keen on re-establishing,” he shared. However, he emphasised that his recent transfer was not motivated by a quest for national representation, but rather it is an added benefit if he performs well for his club, Tottenham. “While my focus is primarily on Tottenham, I remain hopeful of making my way into the national team from there,” he added.
The Guardian further listed the division of England’s team, which included
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson from Crystal Palace, Jordan Pickford from Everton, and Nick Pope from Newcastle United.
Defence is covered by Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool, Chelsea’s Levi Colwill, Marc Guéhi from Crystal Palace, Ezri Konsa of Aston Villa, Rico Lewis and John Stones from Manchester City, and Kyle Walker, also from Manchester City.
The mid-field sees players like Jude Bellingham from Real Madrid, Phil Foden of Manchester City, Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid, Nottingham’s Morgan Gibbs-White, Angel Gomes of Lille, Kobbie Mainoo from Manchester United, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, and Declan Rice from Arsenal.
The forward division includes Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United, Jack Grealish of Manchester City, Harry Kane from Bayern Munich, Noni Madueke of Chelsea, Bukayo Saka from Arsenal, Tottenham’s own Dominic Solanke, and Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa.