GARETH SOUTHGATE will not be handing Jermain Defoe an international recall next month, even though the Sunderland striker can claim to be England’s most in-form centre-forward.

Southgate is currently pondering his selection for England’s March double-header, which will see them travel to Dortmund for a friendly against Germany before hosting Lithuania in a World Cup qualifier.

The England boss faces a number of dilemmas, with the most pressing coming up front as most of his established forwards are either out of form or currently being overlooked for their club side.

Wayne Rooney and Marcus Rashford have been fringe figures at Manchester United all season, Daniel Sturridge is similarly peripheral at Liverpool, with Jurgen Klopp preferring to start with Roberto Firmino or Divock Origi, and while Jamie Vardy has at least been starting for Leicester City, his personal decline mirrors that of the reigning champions as a team.

Vardy has not scored since mid-December and boasts just five league goals all season, with his lacklustre performances in the last couple of months hardly meriting his inclusion in Southgate’s next squad.

Harry Kane is the only attacking member of the England squad that travelled to last summer’s European Championships in France who has even come close to reaching his peak form this season, and the Tottenham striker is currently the joint highest-scoring Englishman in the Premier League.

He shares that honour with Defoe, with the pair having claimed 14 league goals this season. However, while Kane has scored his goals for a Tottenham side who remain involved in the title race, Defoe’s success has come as part of a Sunderland team that are propping up the table.

The 34-year-old has scored more than 58 per cent of his side’s league goals this season – a higher proportion than any other player in the top-flight – and his form has led to renewed calls for him to be recalled to the international set-up.

Defoe won the last of his 55 senior caps against Chile in November 2013, but while Southgate is respectful of his longevity, the England boss will not be restoring him to the fold.

Southgate regards recalling Defoe as a retrograde step that would do little to enhance his key ambition of assembling a side that can compete in the latter stages of the next two major tournaments.

The Sunderland striker will be 35 by the time England kick off the next World Cup finals in Russia – provided, of course, they qualify successfully – and will have turned 37 by the time of Euro 2020, which will see the semi-finals and final staged at Wembley.

Southgate would rather stick with the likes of Rashford and Sturridge, and is also set to hand a prominent role to Danny Welbeck, who has returned from injury at Arsenal in the last few months.

Defoe, who was named North-East Player of the Year at last weekend’s North-East Football Writers’ Awards, is understood to be accepting of Southgate’s thought process, although he will stick with his policy of refusing to formally retire from international football in case a raft of injuries forces the former Middlesbrough manager into a rethink.

Meanwhile, Sunderland’s players will take part in an open training session at the Stadium of Light next week ahead of the club’s trip to Everton.

David Moyes’ squad are currently on a four-day break in New York, but are due to return to England at the end of the week.

They will hold an opening training session next Monday afternoon, with free entry for all fans. The training session will start at 1pm, with access to the Stadium of Light available from midday, and entry will be via exit four, which is located in the West Stand, adjacent to the club store.

There will also be music and entertainment, with face-painting and football-themed activities for younger fans, but anyone under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult.