Troy Deeney has heaped praise on Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke after the forward netted two goals and produced an impressive performance for the Lillywhites against Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.
Solanke had found the back of the net just twice in his first seven Premier League appearances for Spurs prior to the clash with Villa, and pressure had been starting to grow on the number nine. However, he delivered emphatically against Unai Emery's side, delicately lifting the ball over Emi Martinez for his first, before tucking home from a Richarlison cut-back to complete his brace.
Ange Postecoglou's team ultimately ran out 4-1 winners, a result that moves Tottenham up to seventh in the league, just three points behind Nottingham Forest in third. Rewarded with a place in Deeney's team of the week, the former Watford striker admitted that he had been sceptical of Solanke, but these goals have given him encouragement that the former Bournemouth man can lead Spurs to where they want to be.
Deeney Praises Solanke
The forward has been prolific in recent years
After scoring 21 goals in all competitions for Bournemouth last season, Tottenham opted to splash £55 million on Solanke this summer. In a move that was described as a 'gamble', and questioned by many due to the hefty fee, the 27-year-old has endured some growing pains throughout his early weeks in North London.
However, Sunday's exceptional outing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will have silenced some of the critics, finding himself in the right place at the right time to put Spurs in the ascendancy in the encounter. One of these critics, former Watford striker Deeney, complimented Solanke for the display, waxing lyrical about the Cobham graduate in his BBC team of the week:
"I have been giving him a bit of stick because I'm not sure if he is the man who will score enough goals to take Tottenham all the way to where they want to be, but he was really good in the win over Villa.
When I give people stick I also look to give them praise and credit. His goals were two proper poacher's finishes. He was much better and played on the last man, didn't come short and get involved.
He was always available for a cross and got his just rewards. Hopefully he can continue and start firing Tottenham to where they want to be."