Jermain Defoe aims to torpedo England’s World Cup rivals as a Russian supersub
Bournemouth striker is back after a two-month lay-off and desperate to make the finals this summer as a bit-part star
JERMAIN DEFOE is dreaming of being England’s World Cup super sub in Russia this summer.
The Bournemouth striker returned from a two-month lay-off in Saturday's comeback draw with Newcastle.
And Defoe, 35, is now desperate to get back scoring to force his way on to the Three Lions’ plane.
The hitman won an England recall last March following his exploits for struggling Sunderland.
Yet Defoe has started only nine Premier League games this term for the Cherries, scoring just three goals.
Gareth Southgate left the veteran out of his last squad in November but told him the “door is open” if he returns to form.
And Defoe said: “I want to get back in the Bournemouth team and I believe that if I get my chance, I’m going to score goals.
“If you are scoring goals, then it’s down to the England manager.
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“I’m still relaxed about it. I spoke to Gareth before the injury and he basically said, ‘The door is always open because you bring so much with your experience, you bring a lot to the camp’.
“He said, ‘Get yourself back in the team, get your goals and you know the door is open’.
“So it’s down to me really. Well, it's down to Eddie Howe as well!”
Defoe admits it would be “special” to go to his second World Cup — eight years after his first one in South Africa.
He said: “Realistically, if I do end up going, it will be my last one.
“I remember the feeling I got from going to my first one – playing and just being around the hotel with the lads, just knowing that I’m at a World Cup.
“It was something I’d worked so hard to achieve and knowing the buzz I got from it, if I can go to this one, it will be special, especially with this group of players, the young lads.”
Defoe has already earmarked the role he would play in Russia - insisting he would be a perfect option for Southgate to bring off the bench.
He said: “If I went to the World Cup as an impact player, when we need a goal in extra-time, I’d always be ready.
“At a tournament, it’s always about the squad.
“When you are not playing, you’ve always got to be switched on.
“Especially at a tournament when you go into extra-time and penalties and stuff like that.
“I went to the World Cup in South Africa and I played. I went to the Euros with Roy Hodgson in 2012 and I only came on for 13 minutes.
“But it’s important that you are not negative around the camp because, at the end of the day, it’s not about you, it’s about the team and it’s about achieving something as a group.
“If you don’t play and you win the World Cup, it’s special because you are part of that. It’s history.” Defoe fractured his right ankle in December in a tackle with Chelsea’s Ethan Ampadu in the Carabao Cup.
But he returned to action earlier than schedule last weekend against the Toon, coming on in the 73rd minute when Bournemouth were 2-0 down and helping his team draw 2-2.
And Defoe admitted: “It’s been tough to be out.
“I’ve been lucky with injuries in the past but when I got the tackle I knew straight away that it was a bad injury.
“After the scans, I remember saying to the specialist, ‘How long?’, he said ‘Eight to ten weeks’ and I was like, ‘OK, I’ll do that in six’.
“They said I’d be training after ten weeks but after five weeks I was running outside.
“I just did everything right. I was in the gym. I didn’t go on holiday, I didn’t want to waste any days.
“In training now I don’t feel like I’ve been away from it. I don’t feel like I am catching up with my sharpness.
“I feel fit because I’ve done so much work. In that sense, I’m happy but I just want to start playing now. I miss scoring goals.”
Defoe was speaking at the North East Football Writers’ Association awards in County Durham where he received the Personality of the Year trophy for his friendship with Bradley Lowery.
The forward struck up a special bond with Sunderland mascot Bradley, who died last July aged six following a battle with cancer.
And Defoe added: “I’ve said to his mum Gemma that I’ll do whatever I can do to continue to support her family.
“It’s a little bit strange receiving an award for something you do purely from the goodness of your heart, you don’t think about getting an award for it.
“Even when I walk around Tesco people come up to me, probably who haven’t even watched football before, and they know me because of my relationship with Bradley.
“The awareness that little Brad raised is quite phenomenal really.”