Dilemma for striker Defoe

Jermain Defoe does not want to leave Tottenham, but the England striker admits he has to start playing regular football again.

The 29-year-old netted 11 goals for Spurs in 23 appearances last season, which was enough to earn himself a call up into Roy Hodgson’s Euro 2012 squad.

Nevertheless, Defoe has slipped down the pecking order at White Hart Lane, with on-loan Emmanuel Adebayor deployed as a lone striker supported by Rafael van der Vaart.

“It is a difficult one. I have never said I want to leave the club, all I have just said is I want to play,” Defoe said.

“As a forward you just want to get some sort of rhythm and a run in the team. That wasn’t the case towards the end of the season.

“I am going to concentrate on England and go to the Euros, then see what happens. The most important thing for me is scoring goals and that is when I am at my happiest.”

Spurs finished fourth in the Premier League but missed out on the Champions League after Chelsea’s win over Bayern Munich.

“The main aim of the season was to finish in the top four, and we have done that. What happened with Chelsea was out of our hands and was just unfortunate,” said Defoe.