Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe has returned to the club in order to keep fit during MLS close season.

The Toronto forward is expected to return to the Premier League on loan during the January transfer window and has return to Spurs in order to maintain fitness ahead of a proposed loan stint.

Defoe scored 11 goals in 19 league outings for Toronto during his first season in MLS but has long been linked with a return to the Premier League.

Beckton-born Defoe left Spurs for the second time in 2014 to move to Canada, having scored 79 goals in 133 starts in all competitions.

Tottenham Hotspur confirmed the news on Twitter:

The former England international had previously netted 64 times in just 110 starts before leaving White Hart Lane to join Portsmouth.

Defoe would follow in the footsteps of former Spurs team-mate Robbie Keane if he returned to England on loan at the end of MLS season. Keane left LA Galaxy on a temporary basis to turn out for Aston Villa in 2012.