The Tottenham Hotspur man scored within nine minutes of his introduction at the Juventus Stadium on Tuesday evening, firing home an equaliser from distance beyond Gianluigi Buffon to secure the Three Lions a 1-1 draw.

Townsend has struggled to hold down a regular first-team spot for Spurs following an injury-affected year, but the 23-year-old says that he is thankful to England boss Roy Hodgson for showing faith in him.

"Obviously I had a few injury problems at the start of the season but I think now I am over the worst of that," he told The Guardian. "I am slowly building my confidence back to where it was and hopefully from now until the end of the season I can get more games in the Spurs team and for England in the summer, and get back to the football I was producing last season.

"Roy Hodgson has always put his faith in me and always shown loyalty to me. The manager has always given me confidence from my first cap to now, confidence to go and express myself and play my natural game. I have been lucky that I have scored three goals in seven for my country and, hopefully, that will continue.

"But every time he has put me in the squad and on the pitch, I have always repaid that faith. Of course I have still got things to prove to people. That never stops, but every time I've put on an England shirt I have done myself justice, I have done Roy Hodgson justice and the nation justice."

Townsend has scored three goals in seven England appearances.