"Manor Solomon had a done deal with Manchester City, but it was likely he won't get any minutes there, so we preferred to be patient."
These were the words of Gilad Katzav, Solomon's agent, in August 2018. The Citizens' scouts closely followed the Israeli youngster, and the club was close to signing him last summer. Only a last-minute decision made him stay in Israel instead of moving to England.
Last night, Solomon played against Manchester City as a Shakhtar Donetsk player. He was subbed-in at the 65th minute, and four minutes later scored the equalizer. Many begin to wonder, who is the Israeli player that shocked Manchester City?
Ever since he was a child, Manor Solomon was marked as a wonderkid. Every youth-department coach that worked with him talked about a player that works hard to improve his skills, that were very impressive to begin with. Most of it was thanks to the support of his parents. His father, who works as a fitness coach, encouraged Solomon to constantly be in better shape than his teammates.
He grew up in Maccabi Petah Tikva’s youth department, in recent years considered one of the leading youth teams in Israel. He got his first chance to play for the senior team in November 2016, while he was just 17 years old. He quickly became a familiar name in the starting lineup, and soon became a dominant player on the team.
In the 2017-18 season, Manor Solomon had another breakthrough in his career. While keeping his place in the lineup, he got his first call-up to the U-21 national team. UEFA also chose him as one of the 50 most promising players in Europe. His performances drew attention from clubs across Europe, including Manchester City.
One of the most significant problems every Israeli player faces as they turn 18 is a mandatory service period in the Israeli military. The rule is, players cannot leave Israel for a long-term contract, and must complete a certain time quota of service. Due to these circumstances, young talents are bound to decline offers from foreign teams. There is one exception to the rule – if a player is already part of the senior national team, and has an offer from a team in a highly ranked nation, a shortened service period or even a full exemption may be granted.
In the summer of 2018, Solomon was already recruited, dividing his time between his football career and uniformed service. He got more offers but had to be patient. These were not only his agent's words but also those of his home club owner, Avi Luzon. The owner was quoted saying more than once that "one day, Solomon will be worth €20 million." He gained more experience in the first team, and in September 2018, he made his first cap for Israel's national team. Under Andi Herzog's guidance, Solomon was called up in every international break.
His departure came in January 2019. The decision was to move to a club that could act as a stepping stone for the talented youngster. The 19-year-old midfielder was bought by Shakhtar Donetsk, who paid €6 million for his services. This was the third-highest amount ever paid for an Israeli player, after Munas Dabbur’s transfer to Sevilla and Eran Zahavi’s transfer to Guangzhou R&F. The question was whether he could fulfil his potential in Ukraine as well.
Shakhtar Donetsk proved to be a good first overseas stop for Solomon's career. Over the past two decades, the team was infamous for buying Brazilian players with great potential, and later selling them to bigger clubs for a heavy profit. Among them are Fernandinho, who transferred to Manchester City in 2013, Douglas Costa, who left for Bayern Munich in 2015, and Fred, who was recently bought by Manchester United for €59 million. This trend poses a harsh challenge for Solomon: He now needs to fight his way to the starting lineup alongside ambitious Brazilians who wish to follow their idol’s footsteps. But steadily, Solomon rose to the challenge and became a part of the team's rotation.
In his first-ever Champions League campaign, he became one of the youngest Israelis to ever play in the tournament. In the second matchday, Shakhtar Donetsk travelled to play Atalanta in the intimidating San Siro stadium. Solomon was subbed-in and scored the winning goal in stoppage time. The goal was a record breaker, as Solomon became the youngest Israeli to ever score in the Champions League.
A month ago, Solomon was injured in a league match against Karpaty Lviv. He missed Shakhtar's league match against Dynamo Kyiv, as well as the previous Champions League match against Dinamo Zagreb. Moreover, as his fitness was in doubt, Andi Herzog decided to drop him from the national team squad.
Before the match against Manchester City, it wasn't clear whether Solomon was fit to play. It was speculated that he wouldn't even travel to England. Eventually, manager Luís Castro chose to place him in the squad, but not in the lineup. As it turns out, his decision had a great outcome. Thanks to Solomon's goal, Shakhtar Donetsk recorded an important result before the last matchday.
In 2018, when the reports about a possible transfer to Manchester City arose, many people thought that it was highly improbable. Talented as he may be, signing in one of the world's biggest clubs sounded preposterous. The pessimists even said that if such a deal would go through, it could destroy his career.
His decision to wait seems significant, in hindsight. Solomon gains more experience while playing for a club like Shakhtar Donetsk, and now has the reputation of a player that scored against Manchester City. No matter what his next step will be, he already proved that the compliments he got were appropriate. From now on, it will be up to him to prove that he can continue and demonstrate his talent to its full potential for many years to come.