LIVERPOOL and England legend John Barnes believes the pressure of having to perform at big clubs came too soon for Dominic Solanke.

Solanke has caught the attention of national media this season, as he continues his best-ever top-flight campaign in front of goal.

The one-cap England international netted his 10th goal of the season on Saturday, but it is unclear whether that strike will be scrubbed from the records. At the time of writing, no decision had been announced on the next steps for Cherries’ abandoned match with Luton Town.

Solanke joined Cherries from Liverpool for an initial £17.5million in January 2019, having scored just once in 27 appearances for the Reds.

The talented frontman came up through the ranks at Chelsea, featuring once for their first team, but opted to leave for Merseyside in 2017.

Solanke’s form this campaign has seen some of the country’s biggest clubs linked with a move for him, most recently league leaders Arsenal.

Discussing the 26-year-old, Barnes told Bonus Code Bets: “I don’t think Solanke was of the level to be the main striker at Liverpool after his move from Chelsea, even if that’s what he was striving for.

“He wasn’t given an opportunity to show what he can do and maybe it wasn’t his level at the time.

“He’s shown now that he can be a good Premier League striker where he will be the main man and he’s showing what he can do.

“The pressure of having to do that at Liverpool and Chelsea at that young age was probably too much for him.

“Now that he’s settled that he can be a very good Premier League player in a team that’s surviving in the league, he’s playing with confidence and showing what he can do.”

Solanke is approaching 200 games for Cherries and notably reached 30 goals in the 2021-22 campaign, helping the club clinch promotion from the Championship.