Jermain Defoe has put his remarkable consistency at the age of 34 down to his healthy vegan lifestyle.

Defoe returned to the England team and scored against Lithuania, after a long international absence which saw him excluded from Roy Hodgson’s squads for the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016. Defoe is in the form of his life, even for a struggling Sunderland side, and looks set to beat his Premier League goals tally from last season.

Some thought that Defoe’s career was winding down when he left Tottenham for Toronto FC in 2014 but he is in fact as sharp as ever. Speaking after Sunday’s Wembley win, which he said was especially special because Bradley Lowery was there with him, Defoe put his form down to healthy habits.

England vs Lithuania player ratings Show all 13 1 /13 England vs Lithuania player ratings England vs Lithuania player ratings Joe Hart - 5 out of 10 Had absolutely nothing to do in the first-half, and yet still very nearly managed to fluff his lines. Haring off his line to punch a long pass clear, he was beaten to the ball by Nerijus Valskis and was relieved to see John Stones booting his header off the line. Getty Images England vs Lithuania player ratings Kyle Walker – 6 out of 10 Given license to press forward at every opportunity, Walker had a mixed first-half before growing into the game later on. He helped set up England's second goal with a good burst forward and almost set up Dele Alli for a third moments later. Getty Images England vs Lithuania player ratings John Stones – 7 out of 10 Has been increasingly impressive for Manchester City in recent weeks and continued his good form at Wembley. Like Keane he had very little work to do defensively but he was superb bringing the ball forward and starting England’s attacks. Incredibly, he barely misplaced a pass during the entire match. Getty Images England vs Lithuania player ratings Michael Keane - 6 out of 10 Had remarkably little to do in defence after a solid debut away to Germany on Wednesday night. Hit several inch-perfect diagonal passes. Looks like he belongs at this level. AFP/Getty Images England vs Lithuania player ratings Ryan Bertrand - 6 out of 10 Stationed so far forward that he often looked as if he was playing as a left-winger in a 4-3-3 system. Saw a lot of the ball in the first-half but occasionally wasteful in possession, and his final ball was often lacking. Unlikely to replace Danny Rose in Southgate’s staring XI when the Tottenham defender returns. Getty Images England vs Lithuania player ratings Eric Dier – 7 out of 10 Another assured display from England’s utility man. Showed great tactical awareness to regularly flit between a role in England’s defence and their midfield, and dealt confidently with Lithuania’s aerial threat. Very tidy with the ball at his feet. AFP/Getty Images England vs Lithuania player ratings Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - 6 out of 10 An industrious performance, albeit not groundbreaking in any way. When Southgate named his starting XI it was assumed Oxlade-Chamberlain would be deployed out wide but instead he sat in central midfield alongside Eric Dier. Saw a well-struck long-shot nicely saved in the second-half. AFP/Getty Images England vs Lithuania player ratings Adam Lallana – 8 out of 10 Comfortably England’s best player. Ran confidently between the lines to draw out Lithuania’s deep defence and hit a number of impressive in-swinging crosses into the box to test their goalkeeper. Set up England’s second with a sublime flick into the path of Jamie Vardy. Getty Images England vs Lithuania player ratings Dele Alli – 6 out of 10 After an impressive display against Germany earlier in the week, Alli struggled to make much of an impression at Wembley. Was on the receiving end of some very rough treatment from Lithuania’s defenders and generally took a backseat as Sterling and Lallana impressed. AFP/Getty Images England vs Lithuania player ratings Raheem Sterling – 7 out of 10 Made a very bright start before fading in the second-half, where he was quickly replaced by Marcus Rashford. Created England’s goal by beating his man and hitting a superb low pass across the face of goal for Defoe to finish. Getty England vs Lithuania player ratings Jermain Defoe – 7 out of 10 Southgate took a gamble when he handed Defoe his first England call-up since 2013. Twenty minutes into this match and his decision was validated. Smashed home from close-range with confidence for his 20th international goal, and looked lively throughout. Getty Images England vs Lithuania player ratings Jamie Vardy - 6 out of 10 Replaced Jermain Defoe with half an hour left to play and did very well, linking up nicely with Alli and calmly finishing when played through by Lallana for England's second. Getty England vs Lithuania player ratings Marcus Rashford - 7 out of 10 Did exactly what you expect from a thirty minute Marcus Rashford cameo. Terrorised his marker, repeatedly cut inside and was desperately unlucky not to score, or assist a goal. Getty

“The demands on the players are so high with the intensity of the games these days,” Defoe said.

“But with the sports science, if you do things right and look after yourself [you can keep playing]. The key things for me is recovery, and how you look after yourself after the games to give yourself the best opportunity to perform in the next game. I seem to have got that to a tee. There are a lot of things I do away from training and playing that help me to perform on match day.”

Defoe has always abstained from drinking to keep himself in peak shape but he has now given up on meat and dairy as well to keep himself in perfect footballing shape.

Defoe walked out with England mascot Bradley Lowrey (Getty)

“I have a better understanding of my body now, I know when I need to have a rest day,” he said.

“I do a lot of cryotherapy. It’s not enjoyable, but I try and do it like you’re loving it. Everyone wants to play and there’s no better feeling than to feel fresh. So just make sure I’m doing the cryotherapy, massage, eating the right things.”

“I’m trying to turn vegan, which is a funny one because when I go to my mum’s she’s got every meat you can imagine out on the table. I eat a lot of fish, but I’m trying.

"My girlfriend said I have to do it. She puts on these documentaries. It’s always helpful when you have someone around you help you and drive you on. It’s not easy but I feel good so I’ll continue to do it. I am just trying to tick every box so I can continue playing.”

Bradley Lowery led out England at Wembley with Jermain Defoe

Defoe finds it easier to make sacrifices because of how much he enjoys still being good at his job. “I don’t find anything hard because I know the feeling I get scoring goals,” he said.

“It’s like when I get in that ice bath. I don’t want to do it but I know surely at the weekend I’m going to get rewarded. It’s hard but on the other side it’s easy.”

The 34-year-old says he feels on the top of his game (Getty)

It was not easy for Defoe being left out of the last two tournaments for England and he said it was heart-breaking to be left out of the squad for Euro 2016 by Hodgson, even after a good season for Sunderland, especially as he found out that he was not chosen on television.

“It was heart breaking, because in my heart I felt I’d done enough to be involved,” Defoe said. “I’m not talking about going to the Euros and starting. Just to be with this bunch of players and have the opportunity to play with those kind of quality.

"Even if it’s just a five-minute phone call. Gareth phoned me and said ‘even if you’re not in the squad I will still phone you’. As players you appreciate that. You have a conversation with the manager and you understand. Maybe if I do this I can get in the next squad. When he called me we had a nice conversation.”

Defoe scored his 20th international goal against Lithuania (Getty)

All this hard work meant that Defoe knew he was always going to score on Sunday.

“I worked hard all week in training, did a lot of finishing and prepared myself like I normally do,” Defoe said.