England manager Gareth Southgate has described Jermain Defoe as "phenomenal" and "outstanding" following his recall to the international set-up.
The 34-year-old will return to the England squad for the first time in four years for matches against Germany and Lithuania having scored 14 goals in 27 Premier League appearances for bottom-of-the-table Sunderland this season.
The injured Harry Kane is the only English player to have found the back of the net more times in the top flight this season, and Southgate insists that Defoe's age would not count against him in future selections.
"It was important not to look at somebody's age and dismiss them from your thinking," he told reporters.
"His goalscoring record generally is phenomenal, but in particular this season in a team that perhaps aren't creating as many chances as other teams. His strike-rate is outstanding. I didn't want to look at his age and think he's finished with England."
Defoe has won 55 caps for England previously, scoring 19 goals.
