England manager Roy Hodgson shared his delight for Harry Kane after opening his international scoring account, but urged England fans to remain grounded in their expectations of the Spurs striker.
Kane scored just 80 seconds after coming on as a second-half substitute in England’s 4-0 victory over Lithuania that ensured they remain six points clear in their qualifying group for Euro 2016.
Goals from Wayne Rooney, man of the match Danny Welbeck and Raheem Sterling put England in control before Kane’s header, and Hodgson shared a collective appreciation for the 21-year-old’s strike.
“It’s nice when fairytales come true and it has for Harry. We are so delighted for him,” the England manager told ITV.
“He’s had a wonderful season so far and he’s crowned his England debut with a well-taken goal.”
Kane is many pundits tip for player of the season after plundering 29 goals in all competitions for Spurs, but Hodgson issued a plea with England fans to remain pragmatic about his development.
The 67-year-old said: “I think personally it’s too early to put this type of pressure on him. We should just be happy that he’s doing so well.
“He’s got himself into the England setup and scored a goal so let’s just be happy about that.”
Hodgson revealed after the win at Wembley that Welbeck picked up an injury and Sterling has been playing through the pain barrier in recent weeks, meaning both are unlikely to play against Italy on Tuesday.
“It’s a blow for us because they are an important part of the system we are trying to play, but it will give a chance to somebody else,” said Hodgson.
Hodgson stated that he had been in discussion with Sterling’s club manager Brendan Rodgers about the winger’s fitness, with the 20-year-old highly likely to return to Liverpool instead of travelling to Italy.
“Sterling has been playing through an injury for a while now and I’ve always know that Raheem is waiting for an injection in his toe,” said Hodgson.
“I agreed with him and Brendan that he would play tonight’s game and then have the injection.”
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