ROY HODGSON is hoping Harry Kane’s debut goal is the first of many in an England shirt, with the in-form Tottenham striker set to lead the line in Tuesday’s friendly in Italy.

Kane was a second-half substitute as England maintained a six-point gap at the top of their Euro 2016 qualifying group with a 4-0 win over Lithuania, and had been on the field for less than one-and-a-half minutes when he headed home Raheem Sterling’s cross to claim his first international goal.

With Danny Welbeck nursing a knee injury that is expected to keep him out of Tuesday’s game in Turin, Kane looks certain to make his maiden international start in three days time.

And having watched the 21-year-old handle the pressure of being the most talked-about man in English football this week, Hodgson is looking forward to seeing him continue his development over the next few weeks and months.

“I’m delighted for him,” said the England boss, who is the first man in history to have led the national side to seven successive wins at the start of a season. “There’s been a lot of pressure around him, and a lot of hype.

“He was only on the field for about 22 minutes, but it’s fantastic that in that time, he’s been able to score his first goal. He made a great run to the back post, Sterling produced a bit of magic, and he scored a good goal.

“It’s been a great week for him, and we’re delighted to have him. Hopefully, it’s the first of a good career for him.”

Last night’s goalscoring debut will shine an even more powerful spotlight on Kane, who has now scored 30 goals in his breakthrough campaign.

The intention is still for the striker to rejoin Gareth Southgate’s under-21 squad for the summer tournament in the Czech Republic, even though that will force him to miss England’s June qualifier in Slovenia.

Whatever happens this summer, the Londoner looks certain to be a key part of the England squad for many years to come, and Hodgson is confident he will continue at the same rapid rate of progress he has displayed so far this season.

“I think he will put pressure on himself because he’s a good professional, and I don’t think he’ll buckle under the pressure,” he said. “He’ll have to accept the spotlight will have got a bit bigger, but he’s in good hands with Mauricio (Pochettino) at Tottenham and with us here.

“We don’t want to be building him up to knock him down, we want to build him up to be a big part of our future. That’s what I would like to see.

“He’s still a young man, but what can be better than to make your debut and score a goal? Wayne Rooney did similar a few years ago, and he’s never looked back.”

The one downside to the night from an English perspective was the injury that is likely to keep Welbeck out of Tuesday’s game.

The striker injured his knee in a collision with the Lithuanian goalkeeper Giedrius Arlauskis, and will be assessed later today.

England are already short of attacking numbers for Tuesday’s game, as Raheem Sterling has already been given permission to return to Liverpool to have an injection in his toe. With Daniel Sturridge also unavailable, and no new strikers coming into the squad, Kane is set to partner Rooney in attack in Turin.

“Will he start? We will see,” said Hodgson. “His chances get bigger all the time with us losing these players. There’s possibly no Welbeck, and we’ve also got no Sturridge or Sterling.

“We haven’t got forward players coming out of a hat, and he’s one of the ones that is there and is available.”

Hodgson has also given permission for Leighton Baines and James Milner to return to Everton and Manchester City respectively, with Southampton’s Ryan Bertrand coming into the squad to provide left-back cover to Kieran Gibbs.