DEFOE WANTS FINAL SEASON IN FRONT OF FANS

RANGERS striker Jermain Defoe admits he wants to play another season in front of fans before calling time on his career. The 38-year-old striker is out of contract this summer, with Steven Gerrard yet to comment publicly on whether he will be offered a new deal. Minor injury issues have limited Defoe to 11 Premiership appearances so far this term but he savoured being part of the Ibrox club’s title triumph. The former England star views the absence of fans from stadia as the only downside in an otherwise unforgettable campaign. And he hopes an easing of coronavirus restrictions in the coming months will see a more recognisable backdrop for his swansong season in the game. ‘I’ve had this discussion with a few senior lads at the club, you speak about what you’re doing,’ said Defoe. ‘The big thing for me, this season has been so different with no fans in the stadium. If any player was thinking of finishing... to play a season without fans, it’s like training games. It would be hard to finish with no fans. I’ll listen to my body as well and see how I feel. ‘This season, I’ve only had a couple of injuries, nothing major. I’m quite relaxed about it. I want to play another season in front of the fans. ‘This season has been special, I don’t know how I’ll top that. Just a personal one to finish in front of the fans.’ Initially signed on loan from Bournemouth in January 2019, Defoe (right) has admitted he wishes he had moved to Rangers earlier in his career. While he represented England at major tournaments and is one of the all-time top scorers in the English Premier League, his only previous winner’s medal came from helping Tottenham claim the 2008 League Cup. Defoe returned to that regret when advising current England striker Harry Kane that he may have to leave Spurs to win trophies. ‘If you’d have asked me this question a few years ago, I’d have said he should have stayed there. What he’s done at the football club, he’s a legend,’ Defoe told talkSPORT. ‘Since I’ve come away from that and gone to Rangers, I’ve seen that mentality and played for another big club — the importance of playing for that club and winning every game, that mentality, the standards and demands. ‘You have to win and bring silverware, otherwise it’s not good enough. When you actually achieve that and the feeling you get from that, wow man. I wish I had that earlier on in my career. ‘If Harry Kane wants that and wants to win trophies then it looks like he has to go. I don’t think it will be easy for him to leave and he might be looking at it and want to finish off being the highest goalscorer in the club’s history and see where that takes him. ‘He can hopefully win a few trophies — but if he’s really craving medals then he really has to go.’ Like many, Defoe expects Gerrard to go on to manage Liverpool one day and believes the 40-year-old’s achievements in both the Premiership and Europa League show that he would be up to the task. ‘That’s probably the main goal. That’s probably what he’s striving for,’ said the striker, who has scored 29 goals in 66 games for Rangers overall. ‘Because he’s done so well and it’s his first main job, really. He went from Liverpool Under-18s straight to Rangers, even then people probably thought that was a big job for your first job. ‘To dominate domestically was special, but people might look at it and think it’s either going to be Celtic or Rangers — but to compete in Europe as well...’