Jermain Defoe admits he considered leaving Tottenham in January

Jermain Defoe has spoken of his frustration at failing to hold down a regular place in Tottenham Hotspur's starting XI this season and said he thought about leaving in January. The striker scored his first Premier League goals since April in Sunday's draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers but cannot be sure he will start the second leg of Tottenham's Champions League knockout tie against Milan on Wednesday. Defoe was not in the starting team for the first leg at San Siro nor for crucial matches against Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool since he returned from injury in November. "It's been hard," he said. "You start to think: 'What am I doing here?' I'm used to playing in big games. I've played in big games for my clubs and for my country." Leaving in the transfer window did cross his mind. "I don't think the club would have allowed me to go on loan," he told the Daily Mail. "But it was like when I decided to leave here and went to Portsmouth because I got to a situation where I thought: 'I'm not sitting on the bench.' "I'm 28, I don't need to be sitting on the bench. I don't need anyone to put their arm round my shoulder and say: 'Just keep it going.' And if it means I have to work even harder, then I will."