England and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli has said that Jermain Defoe is a "legend" following his goalscoring return to the international stage.
Defoe marked his first England appearance for more than three years by opening the scoring during Sunday's World Cup qualifier with Lithuania, setting Gareth Southgate's side on their way to a 2-0 victory at Wembley.
The 34-year-old remains hopeful of earning a place in the squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and Alli believes that it is inspirational for the younger players to see a veteran work so hard for a recall.
"He is a fantastic player, he is a legend in my eyes. For him to come out and get a goal is big for him and big for the team as well. He is still fighting for a place in the England squad," he told reporters.
"He was one of those players who you hear a lot about, you watch him and he scores a lot of goals. I think some people forget how many goals he has scored and what a legend he is.
"For us younger players to see a player come back into the team, stepping up and getting a goal, it is a massive thing for us."
Defoe has now scored 20 goals in 56 appearances for England.
