Jermain Defoe is satisfied with Roy Hodgson's decision to omit him from the England squad and appreciates the manager's personal touch.
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The Tottenham striker was excluded from the 23-man squad to face Sweden next week, despite having been a regular in the Three Lions set-up of late.
However, the 30-year-old has revealed that Hodgson called him to let him know that he is being rested and that the boss wants to test some of the younger players.
"The manager called me on Thursday morning and left a message on my phone to tell me I would be rested," said Defoe.
"I've played a lot of football to be honest. I have played all of the games for Spurs bar two in the (Capital One) Cup. Also the England games.
"So the manager left me a message telling me that he was going to give me a rest and take an opportunity to look at some of the younger players.
"So he speaks to you and he explains the reasons why he doesn't go with you. Players appreciate that kind of treatment. I've always appreciated it.
"Its when you don't play and you don't hear anything that it becomes a problem. I have had that in my career and its not nice.
"We're all human. As players it is probably true to say that we're never going to go through a whole season playing every game.
"But if the manager has a reason for you not playing and he tells you then no problem," he added.
The former West Ham youngster has scored eight goals in 15 matches for Spurs this season, including a Europa League hat-trick against Maribor on Thursday night.
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