England manager Gareth Southgate has admitted that relegation could affect Jermain Defoe's chances of earning a place in future squads.
The 34-year-old Sunderland striker has scored 14 Premier League goals for the Black Cats this season, with that form seeing him recalled to the England squad for the first time in more than three years.
Defoe marked his return with the opening goal in England's 2-0 win over Lithuania on Sunday, but with Sunderland currently sitting bottom of the table and seven points from safety, his future at international level remains uncertain.
"I guess, going back to what I said in the week, the ideal world for all our players is that they are playing at a high level and playing regularly," Southgate told reporters.
"The flipside of that is we don't have a huge pool of players to pick from. We have to balance off a few different things.
"I can't constrain myself on selection entirely, but I know ideally what I'd want to have. His performances this season and his goalscoring form have counted for him."
Defoe, who has now scored 20 times in 56 appearances for England, has been responsible for more than half of all Sunderland's goals in the Premier League this season.
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