Thomas Frank is convinced that Dominic Solanke will force his way into England contention and Thomas Tuchel's plans ahead of the World Cup - but has no plans to let his fellow striker Randal Kolo Muani leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this month. Solanke has made his comeback following five months battling a nagging ankle injury and appears to have rediscovered his form with strikes in consecutive Champions League fixtures. It was the ex-Bournemouth forward's clinical finish in Frankfurt during midweek that secured Spurs' passage into the competition's last 16.
As Tottenham gear up to face Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday with Tuchel undoubtedly eager to observe the various England internationals in action, Frank reckons Solanke, who has earned three caps for his country, deserves consideration. "Of course it's for Thomas Tuchel and his staff to take that decision in the end. I think that Dom, 100 per cent fit, sharp and performing, should be in the mix," said the Dane.
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"I don't know how many strikers, clear number nines, England want to bring, but he definitely should be in that mix. All his qualities are there to be selected for that."
Frank insists he hasn't established a goal target for Solanke for the rest of the campaign but suspects the striker has likely done so himself.
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"I never do that. I think they do it themselves. I just analyse and try to improve the process every week in terms of training, getting in the right areas, video clips, things like that," the Spurs manager explained.
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"Most strikers, the guys that score the most goals, are inside the 18-yard box scoring from small slide passes, crosses and cut backs and he is very good in those situations."
Tottenham's second goal in Wednesday evening's 2-0 victory in Germany came from Kolo Muani, who has been the subject of transfer speculation linking him with Juventus and potentially seeing his loan deal from PSG terminated early.
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The French forward has impressed in the Champions League this campaign with three goals and two assists across seven appearances, yet remains without a single goal contribution in 15 Premier League outings.
With his injury-depleted Tottenham squad in consideration, Frank left no room for ambiguity regarding the 27-year-old French international's future when questioned about keeping him.
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"Yes. Next question!" the Danish boss declared, expressing hope that the ingenious backheel in Frankfurt against his previous club would prove a turning point for Kolo Muani's Tottenham career.
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"I really hope this goal and the performance can give him some confidence to build from. His qualities and abilities, I always liked them. I think he gives us a different dimension.
"The first action inside the second minute against Frankfurt, where he is bursting through on the left-hand side... that one-v-one ability and pace is frightening.
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"His goal is well taken, being in the right position inside the six-yard box on a ball headed back in the mix. Also his ability to go in behind. Hopefully, we're getting closer and closer.
"Sometimes you need the rhythm. He came with basically no pre-season, got injured, broke his jawbone and then he got a little bit up to pace, we are not being free-floating, all that. Hopefully now we are on the right end of things and he can be better."