Jermain Defoe has told talkSPORT he feels he will never receive another England call-up, no matter how many goals he scores at club level.

The 34-year-old striker hasn’t played for the Three Lions since a 2-0 friendly defeat to Chile back in 2013, and has missed the last two major tournaments despite his impressive form for Sunderland.

Defoe scored 15 goals to save the Black Cats from the drop last season, yet was still overlooked by Roy Hodgson for his Euro 2016 team.

The Sunderland star is also the third highest goalscorer of the calendar year in England, having netted 19 goals in 2016, behind only Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero [27] and Tottenham’s Harry Kane [21].

Yet he is still no closer to a Three Lions return.

And asked whether new England boss Gareth Southgate has been in touch since his appointment, Defoe told the Sports Bar: “I’ve not heard anything.

“It’s not like I’ve given up, but it does get to a point where you think, is it ever going to happen?

“I feel good, it’s the sharpest I’ve felt in a long time.

“I’m enjoying training every day, I feel sharp, I feel strong, I feel fit and I feel confident – and for a striker that’s so important.

“But I almost feel like it doesn’t matter what I do, even if I get the Golden Boot I still don’t think I’d get called up.

“I don’t really like talking about it. I wouldn’t want the gaffer [Moyes] to have a word [with Southgate] because you get called up on merit, so I’ll just keep letting my football do the talking.”

Listen to the Sports Bar’s interview with Jermain Defoe IN FULL above!