Arsene Wenger confident Danny Welbeck will retain England spot ahead of Tottenham forward Harry Kane

Arsene Wenger is adamant Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck will retain his place in the England side ahead of Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane.

Kane's stunning season saw him rewarded with his maiden England call up for the European Championship qualifier with Lithuania on Friday 27 March and took just 78 seconds to register his first goal for his country.

The Spurs starlet is now expected to play an important role in the rest of England's qualifying campaign but Wenger feels his impact has unfairly overshadowed his player who was also on the score sheet at Wembley.

Welbeck's haul of six goals in five Euro 2016 qualifying campaigns remains the best in Europe, something Wenger hopes will keep him firmly in Roy Hodgson's starting plans even at the expense of Kane.

"Kane played one game and it is good for England to have many options and to choose the best one," Wenger told a press conference ahead of Saturday's meeting with Liverpool.

"Welbeck until now has always been the chosen best one and I don't see how, after Friday night, Roy Hodgson could change his mind."

While Welbeck has thrived in front of goal for his country, he has been unable to replicate that at club level.

Since joining the Gunners last September, the former Manchester United forward has registered just eight goals for the club, but his manager believes the forward's attributes have improved greatly since his arrival in north London.

"He's a team player and I believe technically he has improved a lot," Wenger said. "When you look at him now I believe that technically he is much more mature, more composed in front of goal, the quality of his runs is getting better and he has huge, huge attributes."

Welbeck was forced off with 13 minutes to play on Friday with a knee problem but Wenger is hopeful the former Manchester United forward can have some role to play on Saturday against Brendan Rodgers' side.