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LONDON - Portsmouth's new signing Jermain Defoe has been called up into the England squad for next week's soccer friendly against Switzerland after Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor withdrew injured.
Striker Defoe, who joined Portsmouth from Tottenham Hotspur on the last day of the January transfer window, was left out of Fabio Capello's initial 30-man squad which was trimmed down to 23 on Saturday.
Agbonlahor was in line to win his first cap at Wembley on Wednesday but limped out of Aston Villa's 2-1 defeat at Fulham on Sunday.
"Following his injury today Gabriel Agbonlahor has withdrawn from the England squad and will not be required to report. Jermain Defoe has been called up this evening," the FA said on its website (www.thefa.com).
Defoe, who has 26 England caps, scored on his Portsmouth debut on Saturday in the 1-1 draw against Chelsea, although the club admitted the 25-year-old's transfer was initially only a loan deal.
"Defoe's transfer was done as an initial loan because of time restraints," a Portsmouth spokesman was quoted on the BBC.
"The full documents will be signed and registered this week and this is a standard method when you have little time."
It was thought that Defoe's move to Fratton Park was dependant on Zimbabwean striker Benjani Mwaruwari moving to Manchester City in a nine million pounds deal, however that did not go through before the window closed at midnight Thursday.
- REUTERS
