Rangers striker Jermain Defoe is having a ball and looking forward to ‘something special’

Jermain Defoe says his “fire” to play football burns as brightly now at 37 as it did when he was a teenager first breaking through at West Ham.

The former England internationalist was outstanding for Rangers against Hibs on Friday night, rounding off his man-of-the-match display with a stunning goal.

Manager Steven Gerrard admitted his display was so good, it has left him with a big decision to make whether to leave him in the side to face Kilmarnock on Boxing Day, when Alfredo Morelos is eligible to return from suspension.

It was, Defoe confirmed, music to his ears.

“With the squad that we have, competition for places is unbelievable,” he said.

“There are players who are not even in the squad who could come in and perform at the level.

“That’s part and parcel of playing for a club of this size.

“Yet at the same time, you want to play every game.

“If I wasn’t bothered about playing, I think the manager would be thinking: ‘Has he lost that fire?’.

“But I’m still hungry to play every game, hungry to train in every session and I think the manager likes that.

“Regardless of the age I am, I’ll always have that. Age is just a number.

“The day I wake up happy not to be playing football, then I may as well stop playing.

“Of course, you want to play every game, and when I do get my chances I feel confident I’ll take them.

“That’s what the manager wants – to have a situation that when players are injured or suspended, we still have players who can come in and win us games.

“When you know the games are so important, you prepare yourself as well as you can, and tick every box and make sure you feel confident.

“We have a strong squad. We are in a good place and we want it to continue.”

How long Defoe himself will continue in a light-blue jersey is, of course, the $64,000 question.

His answer, if not unequivocal, is at least encouraging.

“Obviously the manager and those at the club have made it clear that they want me to stay,” he said.

“From day one, the appreciation from the fans and the people around the training ground and at the club has been amazing.

“I’ve only been here a short time, and it’s a nice feeling for myself and my family.

“I’ve not thought about going anywhere else. It’s a massive club. At this stage of my career, it’s about football and, as you can see, I love it here.

“I have always been a player who lets the agents do all that stuff as I just want to focus on my football, and not get too much involved in the negotiations.

“I’m still on loan (from Bournemouth) so my situation is a bit different.

“But hopefully it will be sorted, and I can enjoy this season and we can achieve something special together.

“Then I can look forward to next season.”