Toronto FC forward Jermain Defoe started rehab on Monday in his native England and he is expected to be fully fit for the start of training camp in January, sources told Sportsnet.
Defoe, 32, underwent off-season groin surgery in November after missing several games of the 2014 Major League Soccer regular season through injury.
Defoe led Toronto in scoring with 11 goals in 19 appearances. But he ended up missing 15 matches due to injuries and suspension, as the Reds finished seventh in the Eastern Conference, and failed to qualify for the playoffs for an eight consecutive year.
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Speculation about Defoe’s future at TFC has been a hot topic of discussion since August when the club turned down a transfer offer from Queens Park Rangers. In the aftermath, Defoe was non-committal whenever he was asked about his long-term future with the MLS outfit.
But for its part, Toronto FC is acting as though the Englishman will be back for them in 2015. The Reds on Monday selected Defoe as one of 11 players it will protect for this week’s league expansion draft.
New York City FC and Orlando City, set to enter MLS next year as expansion franchises, will pick players who were left unprotected by the league’s other 18 teams.
Expansion rules stipulate that each MLS teams are allowed to protect 11 players. Teams can lose no more than two players in the draft, and once you lose a player, you can protect another.
The fact Toronto protected Defoe doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll return in 2015—it could be just a way for the Reds to ensure they hold on to the Englishman in order to sell him off in January. If Defoe was left unprotected and he was picked by Orlando or New York, TFC would lose out on any possible transfer fee.
Defoe inked a four-year deal with Toronto in February as part of the MLS club’s major off-season makeover that also included the signings of fellow designated players Michael Bradley and Gilberto.
TFC’s protected players are: Defoe, Gilberto, Luke Moore, Jonathan Osorio, Michael Bradley, Collen Warner, Justin Morrow, Nick Hagglund, Joe Bendik, Kyle Bekker and Warren Creavalle.
