Last updated on .From the section Football

Defoe returned to Spurs from Portsmouth in 2009

Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe has admitted he is frustrated with not being in the first team.

The 28-year-old has struggled to hold down a starting place this season and has scored only four goals in the Premier League this term.

He told Sky Sports News: "When you feel like you are working hard, training hard and being professional and then you are not playing, it is difficult."

Defoe hinted that he may reconsider his future if he does not feature more.

"If you speak to any of the players and the fans, they will tell you that I am committed to the club," Defoe added.

"I love the club and I still get the same buzz that I did when I first walked out at White Hart Lane, which is important.

"But for me the main thing is playing football and if I am not playing football then I am not happy, because I love my football."

Defoe, who was out for two months last autumn after undergoing ankle ligament surgery, has made 21 league appearances this season, with six of those as a substitute.

quote I want to play in every game and score goals

He fired a hat-trick for England in the 4-0 victory over Bulgaria in September while he also scored braces for Spurs in the draws with FC Twente in the Champions League and Wolves in the Premier League as well as the FA Cup victory over Charlton.

And he has admitted that he is frustrated with not playing for Spurs more often.

"At the end of the day I am ambitious," Defoe reflected.

"I want to play in every game and score goals, especially when you score goals for a fantastic club like Tottenham.

"I have always been like that from the first day I walked through the door and I truly believe that if I am playing games I will score goals. I think my record shows that.

"It has been really, really hard to be honest. Players come and go, that is just football and it is out of my hands."