Harry Kane will end his goal drought soon, says England manager Gareth Southgate

England manager Gareth Southgate insists he isn’t worried about Harry Kane’s barren spell with the national team and backed him to find the net again soon enough.

Tottenham striker Kane may have won the Golden Boot at the World Cup finals in Russia, but hasn’t scored in six games now, a run extended in Friday’s 0-0 draw in Croatia.

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Kane had a header crash off a crossbar, and a goal disallowed, as England enjoyed the better of the Nations League clash with the team that ended their World Cup dreams in a Moscow semi-final three months ago.

Kane has now equalled his longest period without an international goal, but Southgate isn’t concerned.

“He buried that chance but was just offside, but Harry will get us goals,” Southgate said.

“We were a real threat. The most important thing for the team is we create chances, look dangerous, and I have faith the players who didn’t score will score.

“This feels like a game we should have won but I was really pleased with the way we played. We dictated the flow for a long period and the second-half performance was excellent, pushing right to the end.

“I couldn’t ask for more from the players. We just have to make sure we finish the chances. On another day, we will.”

It was a strange, lifeless match on Friday night in truth, due to the empty stadium. Uefa forced the match to be played behind closed doors as part of a punishment handed down to Croatia after a swastika was marked onto the pitch before a match against Italy in 2015.

Apart from a few songs from a handful of industrious England fans who watched the action from the top of a nearby hill, the game was played in silence.

“It wasn’t an easy pitch, either, especially in the final third with people slipping and the ball bouncing up at the wrong moment,” Southgate said. “But good teams adapt. Good teams, whatever the circumstances or the atmosphere or the pitch, find a way of playing.

“I was pleased the players did that and was particularly pleased with Ben Chilwell, who had a super debut: very composed defending against top quality players, good interceptions and use of the ball, getting forward well. Also Ross Barkley, who had a good impact on the game as well.

“And I had no hesitation in throwing Jadon Sancho on late on. We know he can have an impact on the game, and he did that when we eventually got the ball to him. So there were lots of encouraging things. We’re disappointed not to have won but I have to focus on the way we played. And tonight we played well.”

England picked up their first Nations League point, and much will now depend on their Wembley meeting with Croatia. First, Southgate’s men will travel to play Spain in Seville on Monday night.