Tottenham Hotspur star striker Dominic Solanke recently returned from an injury that cost him several months of action this season, and his nagging foot injury was such a concern that many Spurs fans had written off anything he could contribute in the 2025/26 season as a mere bonus.
But after getting his feet wet with a couple of appearances off the bench, Tottenham manager Thomas Frank reinserted Solanke into the Champions League squad ahead of a must win matchup against Borussia Dortmund with Frank's very job on the line.
Solanke started his first game of the season against Dortmund and was a massive upgrade on what Spurs were previously trotting out at striker (minus Mathys Tel, whose spot he took in the Champions League squad and who almost never gets to play as a No. 9 anyway).
Dominic Solanke was missed badly
The England international scored in the 2-0 Tottenham win, but, most importantly, he offered an all around element that Randal Kolo Muani stopped providing once he started mentally checking out of Tottenham. Whereas Kolo Muani was lazy and lethargic, Solanke was industrious and blue collar, with his physical presence and intelligent movement off the ball helping open up the game so that Wilson Odobert delivered two assists in his best individual performance of the 2025/26 season.
After watching what Dominic Solanke could do in 69 minutes in his first start of the season, Tottenham Hotspur fans are hoping that they can see more of him, since he is a game changer at striker compared to how one dimensional Richarlison was and how dreadful Kolo Muani has become with his lack of effort.
But above all else, Tottenham fans want to make sure Solanke is and stays healthy, because losing him again this season for an extended period of time would be devastating. To that end, Tottenham manager Thomas Frank was asked at a press conference prior to the Premier League battle against Burnley if Solanke would be able to avoid a minutes restriction soon.
Although Frank is often frustratingly cryptic, especially with regards to Solanke's injury status this season, he was pretty plain spoken on this one, simply stating that Solanke has not progressed to a point where he can play freely. The Tottenham manager stated, via The Spurs Express, “I think he is not close to it… It's more [about] his fitness, match fitness.”
So not only is it a no, it is a "not close", and while that is disappointing to hear in the sense that Solanke is a huge help to Tottenham on the pitch, it is better for Spurs to be honest and aware of the reality of the risk of aggravation and the fact that he is not fully ready. Remember, Solanke only just came back from a lengthy, multi month lay away that was longer than expected - and actually could have ended up being even longer than this. Better safe than sorry is the policy here.