The diminutive Tottenham Hotspur goal-getter, who has already netted four times for Spurs this season, came off the bench to score England's second against Slovenia last weekend, having bagged a brace as a half-time replacement in the 2-2 draw with Holland in Amsterdam.
But despite calls for the former Portsmouth and West Ham front-man to be promoted to the Three Lions' starting XI in place of Emile Heskey, Adams - who won 66 caps for his country - says that Defoe would be far more effective against a tiring defence.
“I know how good Jermain is because I’ve worked with him, but if I was England manager, I think I would go with the same again,” he said in a video interview available to watch in FourFourTwo.com's interviews section.
“I would let Emile Heskey rough them up and then Jermain take all the headlines when he came off the bench to get a hat-trick in the second half!
“Sometimes it’s not as straightforward as putting your best goalscorer on the pitch. Jermain is a fantastic finisher, but what about work outside of the box?
“Yes, he has improved on that side of his game but perhaps Heskey offers more.”
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