It seemed rather inconceivable that Dominic Solanke would be playing Championship football less than four years after leading England’s U-20 side to the World Cup in 2017.
The then-prodigious talent wasn’t just a bystander in South Korea, rather he dominated the competition and was awarded the Golden Ball at the end of an amazing showpiece.
For context, greats like the late Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi are past winners of the prize, while Paul Pogba — an eventual winner of the World Cup with France’s senior team — claimed the honour in 2013.
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When Bournemouth’s relegation was confirmed at the end of the 2019/20 campaign, Solanke was at a crossroads, especially as his stock had significantly fallen circa three years after seemingly having the world at his feet in Asia.