Roberto Mancini said he never doubted Mauro Icardi after the striker hit two goals in Inter's 4-0 win at Udinese.
Icardi opened the scoring and added the third goal - his fifth and sixth strikes of the season - in a fine team performance that strengthened Inter's position at the top of Serie A.
"He put in a great performance," Mancini told Mediaset Premium. "I was never worried about him.
"He's scored six goals up to now which is a good return."
Mancini also picked out the performance of Icardi's fellow attacker Stevan Jovetic, who scored his first league goal since August.
"Jovetic also had a great game today as their understanding with one another is growing," he said.
"Today's win doesn't change much, especially as several teams have to play tomorrow. It is still too early to talk [about the standings]."
Inter are four points clear in the race for their first Scudetto since 2010 with their nearest rivals all in action on Sunday, as Napoli host Roma and Fiorentina head to Juventus.
"It was important to win here. We showed the right spirit and that was important as there are no easy matches," added Mancini.
"At times we suffered because they are a great team, and our wingers weren’t tracking back which opened up space.
"However, we did well after the restart."
