Friday, 31st October, 2014
Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe has insisted that he has not given up hope of playing for England again.
The 32-year-old, who was overlooked by England boss Roy Hodgson for the 2014 World Cup, has not represented his nation since moving to MLS outfit Toronto FC from Spurs in February.
However, Defoe explained that he still hopes to return to the international set-up by putting in impressive displays at club level.
"I would never rule myself out of playing for my country", he told the BBC.
"There's no better feeling than scoring goals for your country. To get that feeling again would be special.
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"I've always said as a player to get into any international squad is based on merit, you've got to playing well for your club and that's all you can do."
Defoe, who played in the 2010 World Cup, further added that he feels playing in North America might have influenced Hodgson not to pick him for the showpiece event in Brazil.
"Maybe the manager thought the Premier League is probably the best league in the world, so the players doing well there deserved to go to the World Cup”, he continued.
"All I wanted to do is play in a World Cup. Having played in one before, to get that buzz is hard to put in words. I came in March and I thought maybe I'd done enough to deserve to be on the plane."
Defoe, who has been linked with a return to the Premier League during the winter transfer window, has 55 caps and 19 goals for England to his name.
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