Defoe determined to continue his quest

LONDON - Fueled by the pain of past rejections and revitalized after turning vegan, Jermain Defoe insists he can defy age by firing England to the World Cup.

Less than a year ago, Defoe feared his England career was over after Roy Hodgson ignored the striker's fine form with Sunderland and left him off the Euro 2016 squad.

Defoe was devastated and the blow was even tougher to take because Hodgson didn't deliver the news personally.