Jermain Defoe "devastated" by omission from World Cup squad

Jermain Defoe has admitted that he was shocked by Roy Hodgson's decision to leave him out of England's World Cup squad.

The Toronto FC striker was named on the standby list on Monday, but claims that he did believe he had a good chance of being included in the group of 23 that would head to the tournament in Brazil this summer.

"It's hard to find words to describe the feeling," Defoe told BBC Radio 5 live.

"In life you can't expect anything, but I felt I had a good chance of going because I've been involved in most of the squads. I feel devastated.

"All I've done is got my head down and play football. I've continued to do what I've always done - scored goals and worked hard."

Defoe, who joined Toronto from Tottenham Hotspur in February, has scored 19 goals in 55 appearances for England.