Defoe open to MLS return: 'I definitely wouldn't rule it out'
Chances are that Jermain Defoe's possible return to MLS won't be hailed as a "bloody big deal" like his initial taste of North American soccer was.
Defoe delivered on the pitch during his first season with Toronto FC - scoring 12 goals in 21 appearances - before his relationship with club president Tim Leiweke became strained when his desire to return to England was revealed.
The 36-year-old, who currently plays for Bournemouth, appears to have set his sights on a possible return back across the pond.
"I definitely wouldn't rule it out because when I was there, I enjoyed it," Defoe told Mark Ogden of ESPN FC. "I enjoyed going to different places, places I'd never been before.
"But even when I was there, each team we played, I always felt like there were a few players that could probably go on and play at some level in Europe.
"I think the standard is improving. I think when David Beckham went there, (the standard) was probably nowhere near what it is now.
"It's definitely a league that's improving. I watch the games and there are some quality teams and all the stadiums are full now."
The English forward's arrival in Toronto was unlike any other in the team's history, as the Canadian side produced a campaign designed to get fans excited about the upcoming season. Signing Defoe was also meant to signal a shift in mindset for a club that, up to that point, had become synonymous with failure.
But a season that began with so much promise resulted in a campaign similar to those before it for TFC, as the team missed out on the playoffs before reports began to suggest Defoe was unsettled at the club.
Defoe, who has only appeared in two Premier League matches as a substitute this season, was eventually sold to Sunderland in January 2015 and admitted that his move to MLS was likely premature.
"I think maybe (I went to MLS too soon)," Defoe said. "It just made sense at the time because it was a good deal for both parties.
"For me going to another league, a new challenge, a club that had massive changes ... I knew the manager, Toronto is an amazing city, and I looked at it and thought, David Beckham went there, Robbie Keane went there, other players.
"I thought this could be good, a new chapter in my life. And to be honest, I enjoyed it."