Eriksson hails impressive Defoe
Sven-Goran Eriksson has praised the attitude and application shown by Jermain Defoe, who could earn a World Cup spot if Wayne Roney fails to recover from his broken metatarsal.
Defoe is on standby, along with Everton-bound Andrew Johnson, and in contention to replace Rooney in England’s final 23-man squad for Germay should Rooney’s scan on June 7 provide bad news.
The 23-year-old Tottenham striker would appear to have the edge given the fact he was playing in the Barclays Premiership last season.
Eriksson said: “Jermain Defoe has been getting better and better since he joined up with us. He has had a difficult season at Tottenham in not having played in all the games.
“It is always difficult for young players to sit on the bench because when their chances comes along, they want to try and do too much.
“They want to impress and many times the opposite happens. But I have been impressed with Jermain during the past couple of weeks.
“He has been very good, even knowing he is a standby player. He has worked hard and there is a smile on his face, which I appreciate very much.”
