JERMAIN Defoe is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Wayne Rooney as he attempts to persuade Sven Goran Eriksson that he is the man to replace the Everton striker in Austria and Poland next month.

Rooney's foot injury is almost certain to keep him out of England's opening two World Cup qualifiers, and Defoe is one of five strikers looking to stake a claim in tomorrow night's friendly with Ukraine.

Michael Owen would seem a certain starter in Vienna and Kadowice but, with Emile Heskey increasingly falling out of favour, England's next generation of strikers are set to do battle for the final starting spot.

Darius Vassell has shone for England in the past, but went missing in June's Euro 2004 defeat to Portugal, while Alan Smith's suspect temperament continues to count against him.

Defoe has less experience in the international arena but, after narrowly failing to force his way into Eriksson's squad this summer, is confident he can make the same kind of instant impact that Rooney enjoyed in Portugal.

"Wayne's a great player and what he did in the tournament was unbelievable," said Defoe, who opened his account for the season in Tottenham's 1-1 draw with Liverpool last weekend.

"He's still young and that acts as an inspiration for all the other young forwards in the squad. We look at we did and what he achieved and try to follow in his footsteps.

"I know this is a massive season for me. I'm not trying to look too far into the future, but I know big things could happen this season."

This time last season, Defoe was struggling to come to terms with West Ham's relegation to the First Division and the pacy striker admits that his career was beginning to slide off the rails.

He was sent off three times in close succession as the Hammers struggled to adapt to their new surroundings, but a January move to White Hart Lane revitalised his game.

"I missed 13 games because of my sendings off at West Ham and I know that's a part of my game that I've had to look at," admitted Defoe. "I'm trying to calm down a bit because I couldn't carry on like that. I'm trying to let my football do the talking."

* Wayne Bridge has suffered a calf injury and will miss tomorrow's match.

Chelsea full-back Bridge played in his club's 1-0 Barclays Premiership victory over Manchester United on Sunday but has since reported discomfort and didn't join up with the England squad for training.

* England international Rio Ferdinand - still banned for missing a drugs test - will make an appearance at St James' Park tomorrow - as a pundit for the BBC.

He will be joined on TV by Newcastle skipper Alan Shearer.