Jermain Defoe has claimed that his mother is the reason behind his disciplined attitude in the game.

The 31-year-old, who left Tottenham Hotspur for Major League Soccer side Toronto in March, has been full of praise for the role that his parents have played throughout his career.

In an interview with George Stroumboulopoulos on Canadian TV channel CBC, Defoe said: "I was lucky enough to have great parents. My mum was really strict on me so I was in bed by nine o'clock.

"She used to say things like, 'you need to go to bed early, you've got training tomorrow, you can't eat this, you've got eat this'.

"No matter what happens, even if I go to bed at midnight I'll give it 100% in training, but that discipline from day one was so important because now I'm so disciplined and my mum's probably the reason why."

Defoe has scored three goals in three appearances in the Eastern Conference.