Dominic Solanke makes statement about Tottenham's young players and his own fitness

Dominic Solanke has been speaking to reporters out in Turkey on Wednesday ahead of Tottenham Hotspur's Europa League match at Galatasaray.

The £65million summer signing has made a big impression at Spurs with seven goal involvements in his first 10 starts for the north London club and his head coach has quickly been repaid for the faith he showed in pushing for the England international to be signed from Bournemouth in that big money move.

The switch has paid off for both the club and player with now back in the England fold after a long absence and leading the line for Tottenham with aplomb, with performances full of energy and goals or assists.

Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those reporters out in Istanbul putting the questions to Solanke on Wednesday evening. Scroll down for a full transcript with everything the 27-year-old forward said in his press conference at RAMS Park.

How are you feeling fitness-wise? It feels like you've been running yourself into the ground recently for the team and there's so many matches?

I feel great. Obviously we've got a lot of games this season which we want to do. Obviously there's a lot of competitions we want to do well in and go for, so we’re going to need everyone. But yeah, me personally, I'm quite a fit person. I like to work hard. So I think with the staff that we've got, everyone's looking out for us and making sure we get right for each game. So we're thankful for that.

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The England squad is announced tomorrow, Thomas Tuchel has been announced as manager but us not taking over yet. Is that going to be strange?

Since the last camp, we had the news that the new manager will be taking over. I’m not sure he’s going to be there, he’s going to be taking over from next year. That’s something to look forward to for the country. On a personal note, I’d love to be there again [in the squad]. I worked hard to get back there so it’s definitely an aim of mine to stay there.

You produced that ice-cool finish against Villa for your first goal but hadn't scored for six games before that. Where did that calmness and composure come from after not scoring for a couple of weeks?

It is just about staying right, staying sharp in your mind. You are always going to miss chances and sometimes you might not get chances, but it's important to stick with it, especially being a striker. There will be a time when you do get the chance and you need to be ready for that.

Welcome to Turkey. What do you think of Galatasaray and the atmosphere there will be at the game tomorrow?

Thank you. Yeah everyone knows how big a club Galatasaray is and the atmosphere they create in their stadium is immense. As a footballer, that is something everyone wants to be a part of. In our squad we have a lot of players who have played in big tournaments, big stadiums and big atmospheres. I think we'll be ready for it but it's something we're looking forward to.

What do you know of Galatasaray?

Yeah like I mentioned Galatasaray is a huge club with a lot of history. They have had a lot of top players over the years, they've obviously got some great players now so we know it will be a tough game. In Europe every game is tough and we're looking forward to the challenge.

What's the hottest atmosphere you have faced?

You've put me on the spot there! I'm trying to think. Off top of my head I probably can't pick out one but there has been quite a few over the years. With the young players, it is good for everyone to learn and experience because these are the games everyone wants to play and for the young boys it will be a great experience for them.

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