Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe has admitted that he is experiencing doubts about whether he will ever again play for England.
While his club lay rooted to the bottom of the Premiership, the form of Defoe is arguably good enough to warrant a call-up to the Three Lions ahead of their games against Germany and Lithuania later this month.
The 34-year-old was probably left gutted after he was not included in England’s Euro 2016 squad by Roy Hodgson despite finishing as the third highest scorer in the Premiership last season. Defoe is unsure about whether Gareth Southgate will feature him in his plans.
“I feel like I should have been involved last season if it’s based on merit and stats – on who’s scoring goals,” Defoe exclusively told Sky Sports.“I was in the England squad for like 10 years, and probably most of that time I was at Tottenham scoring goals.
“There were times where I wasn’t even playing but I was still in the squad because of the goals I scored before. So I don’t know. I’ve always been a positive person, but there comes a time where you think, ‘Is it really going to happen?’
“All I can do is keep playing well. The English fans – I read some nice stuff on social media and in the press too. So for me it’s a nice feeling that people want me back into the squad. At the end of the day it’s up to the manager so we’ll see.”
