Jermain Defoe has revealed he will consider his future at Sunderland if the club fail to secure their Premier League status this season.
The 34-year-old striker was included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for upcoming games against Germany and Lithuania this week and has the opportunity to make his first appearance for England since November 2013.
Defoe has been in sublime form for Sunderland this season and his goals are really the only reason why they still have a slight chance of beating the drop this season and his return to the international set-up has given the veteran hope of making the 2018 World Cup next summer.
However, any chance of making Southgate’s squad for Russia would all but diminish if he drops down to the Championship next summer and Defoe has conceded he would be forced to evaluate his future if that situation comes to fruition.
“Obviously you have to be realistic and to get into any squad it is based on merit and you need to be playing at the top level,” The Daily Mirror quote Defoe as saying.
“When I went to Toronto (in MLS in early 2014) I missed out on going to the World Cup and it was a hard call to take. I would say I probably need to be playing in the Premier League but we will see what happens.”
“The boys I’m competing against are playing in the Premier League and in Europe and probably that’s why I missed out on the last World Cup. You probably need to be playing in the Premier League.”
Defoe was linked with a January move back to West Ham but Sunderland understandably had no interest in selling the one player that is likely to define whether they are a Premier League club next season or not.
In the Premier League this season only Harry Kane (19) has scored more goals of all English players than Defoe (14).
For more stats on Jermain Defoe, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
