Sunderland boss David Moyes backs Jermain Defoe for England call-up
Defoe has scored twice in three Premier League games for Sunderland this season ahead of former Black Cats boss Sam Allardyce naming his first England squad on Sunday.
The 33-year-old put Sunderland 1-0 up from the penalty spot in the 80th minute before Jay Rodriguez equalised five minutes from time for Southampton.
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Hide AdMoyes said: "I wouldn't be surprised at all, because Jermain Defoe is a goalscorer.
"He has that ability to score out of very little.
"And Sam knows him, he knows him better than me because he has worked with him for longer than I have.
"From what I've seen, he is a really good pro and that's what I like about him.
"He wants to do things right, and he wants to stay in good condition.
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Hide Ad"He is certainly not someone who is just playing out the latter days of his career.
"I'd love to have a Sunderland player in the England squad.
"We started at Everton like that, then I hoped to have two players in the England squad, then three, and build it up into a squad of top international players.
"If Jermain Defoe gives us the start we need, I will be thrilled."
Defoe was tripped by Jose Fonte for the penalty.
Moyes added: "He had one or two sniffs of chances as well, and he put one away against Man City the other week as well.
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Hide Ad"He took his penalty kick terrifically well, and we are going to need his goals.
"I haven't seen it [the penalty] yet. But some people say yes and some people say no, so if it is a split decision the referee has to call it one way or the other.
"He's a really good finisher, and we just need to keep a check on him because he is carrying a bit of a thigh strain."
New signing Javier Manquillo, 22, made his debut for Sunderland after arriving on a season-long loan from Atletico Madrid.
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Hide AdMoyes added: "I thought the right-back played very well today on his debut, so there were some pluses.
"I thought Adnan [Januzaj] had some great moments for us, and there were moments where you could see what a great player he is.
"We have to raise our quality and make sure that we are winning games, not drawing or losing them."