BOSS Eddie Howe hailed the “mental strength” of goalscorer Dominic Solanke and added: “I think he will go on to have a really successful career here.”

The Cherries frontman finally broke his duck for the Dorset club having found the net in Saturday’s 4-0 FA Cup third-round victory over Luton.

Having earlier had a converted header ruled out by VAR for offside, the England international fired eight minutes from time against the Hatters to finally get off the mark.

Solanke had previously gone 30 matches for the club without scoring and 602 days since his last senior club goal.

Asked how the former Chelsea youngster had dealt mentally with his goal drought, Howe said: “It’s difficult to know how players feel inside when players are at home and around their family.

“All I can say from what I’ve seen and my interactions with Dom, Dom has been fine.

“He’s been very strong mentally to deal with that I think, because he would have wanted to come here and smash goals in from day one.

“But it hasn’t quite happened like that and I think then you can see the real character of the player and how he can stand up to that.

“You saw from the reaction of his team-mates how popular he is in the dressing room. Everyone really likes him as a person, as a team-mate, he is very unselfish.

“That’s why I think he will go on to have a really successful career here because I think he is an outstanding player.

“I think the goals will come and hopefully that is the moment that changes for him.”

Solanke’s goal came a year to the day since he joined Cherries from Liverpool, for a considerable £17.5million.

“I think possibly for certain players, certain characters. The transfer fee, if you don’t start particularly well, it can weigh around your neck,” said the Cherries boss.

“Everyone is different, some personalities mean you don’t really think about it.

“I think for Dominic it will just do him good to know he’s contributed in that way (with a goal). I have been pleased with him overall anyway, but I think he needed that for himself.

“Dom has more to his game than just out-and-out goals. He’s not an out-and-out number nine that can’t contribute anything else other than goals.

“He is a team player. He links the play, he’s technically very good, he’ll work hard. For me, he is very much an all-rounder and he has that intelligence to make us play better.

“When he has played this season, for me, he has helped the team perform to a better level.

“He will need to score goals for his own career and we want to help him do that.”