Alan Shearer: Jermain Defoe's England career behind him ahead of Euro 2016

The in-form 33-year-old striker is the Premier League's third highest scoring Englishman with 11 top flight goals to his name.

But he wasn't included in Roy Hodgson's latest squad and former Newcastle United and England striker Shearer believes his England days are now behind him after 55 caps and 19 goals.

Shearer said: "No, I think his time has gone."

The Match of the Day pundit has backed Hodgson's England side to reach the quarter finals of Euro 2016 in France and is impressed with the amount of young players breaking onto the scene.

"We've got some young players coming through, which is nice to see. Stones, Barkley, Kane and one or two others," said Shearer.

"It's encouraging. I think if we can go there and learn and then we can look forward to the World Cup in Russia.

"Quarter-final minimum [at Euro 2016] – anything else would be a bonus.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is 'scoring goals for fun' this season and Shearer believes he should be leading the England attack this summer.

He added: "When things are going well, he's proved this season that he can still score goals.

"He's brilliant – it’s been a remarkable rise if you consider three or four years ago he was playing non-league football. He’s scoring goals for fun now.

"I would play [Wayne Rooney] just in behind. I would play three in behind – it would be Barkley, Rooney and Sterling behind Harry Kane."

Shearer, speaking to Match of the Day magazine, was asked what it was like to analyse his former side Newcastle United to the watching nation every Saturday night.

He added: "It’s easy, because they are doing so many things wrong.

"It's hard to watch, because of how poorly they’re doing. It’s been a long, hard season for them.

"Fingers crossed they can get out of the mess they are in."

* Match of the Day Magazine, on sale now, www.MOTDmag.com