Jermain Defoe insists he is fine with being left out of Roy Hodgson's England squad for next week's friendly with Sweden.
The Tottenham striker has been in decent form this season with eight goals in all competitions and his Three Lions form at times as a lone attacker has been impressive but Hodgson decided not to include him in his 23-man group for the trip to Stockholm.
Defoe has revealed that the England boss called him personally to discuss the omission and admits he is ok with the choice which is mainly due to his heavy Spurs load in recent times.
"The manager called me on Thursday morning and left a message on my phone to tell me I would be rested," said Defoe.
"I've played a lot of football to be honest. I have played all of the games for Spurs bar two in the Cup. Also the England games.
"So the manager left me a message telling me that he was going to give me a rest and take an opportunity to look at some of the younger players.
"So he speaks to you and he explains the reasons why he doesn't go with you. Players appreciate that kind of treatment. I've always appreciated it."
