Roy Hodgson delighted to see Harry Kane get off the mark

England boss Roy Hodgson has insisted that he never lost faith in Harry Kane when the Tottenham Hotspur striker went through his recent scoring drought.

The 22-year-old found the net against Manchester City last weekend to end a nine-game goalless run in all competitions.

Having initially struggled to build on last season's impressive tally, which included a goal just 79 seconds into his Three Lions debut, Hodgson says that he was delighted to see Kane break his scoring duck for the campaign.

"I regard forwards having a spell of games where they do not score as a very obvious part of football," he is quoted as saying by the Daily Star. "In my time in the game I have never known a player who has just scored and scored and scored. And I have never known a keeper who did not let simple goals in - it happens.

"It is all about the quality of the player and sometimes you have to trust and believe that your choice of player is right, as I do in Harry. One thing for sure is that I do not think Harry is playing badly at all this season and I was very pleased to see him score against Manchester City.

"I noticed my reaction was picked up on TV and it surprised me as I usually watch games stony-faced. But I was so happy for him I could not help smiling. The bottom line is you do not become a good or bad player in three or four weeks."

Kane is expected to start up top for Tottenham in this afternoon's meeting with Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.