THE man who first scored against Saints 14 years ago is the biggest threat to Claude Puel’s men this weekend.

Former England striker Jermain Defoe took his career English league record to 186 goals with a brace in Sunderland’s incredible 4-0 romp at Crystal Palace last Saturday.

The 35-year-old now has 14 Premier League goals to his name this term - more than Saints’ four frontline strikers have scored between them, writes SIMON CARTER.

Charlie Austin (6), Jay Rodriguez (4), Shane Long (2) and Manolo Gabbiadini (1) have shared 13 league goals between them in 2016/17.

Despite the fact he plays for the division’s bottom club, only four players have scored more league goals than Defoe this term - Romelu Lukaku (16), Diego Costa (15), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (15) and Alexis Sanchez (15).

Since the start of last season, only three men have scored more top flight goals than Defoe’s total of 29 - Harry Kane (39), Sergio Aguero (35) and Lukaku (34). Jamie Vardy has also scored 29 (24 of them in 2015/16).

Five of Defoe’s goals this term have come via the penalty spot - including one in Sunderland’s 1-1 draw at St Mary’s back in August.

Defoe’s superb form has not gone un-noticed. Only last month West Ham - the club where he began his career in the late 90s - made a failed £6m bid to bring him back to east London.

It has been 14 years since Defoe first scored against Saints, for the Hammers at St Mary’s in April 2003.

Since then, he has commanded fees of over £30m. Signin g for Tottenham in January 2004 for £7m, he scored 22 goals in his first full season at White Hart Lane in 2004/05 - including a hat-trick against Saints in Harry Redknapp’s second game in charge, a 5-1 loss in north London.

Redknapp, who had been Defoe’s first manager at West Ham, was back in charge at Pompey when he signed Defoe for £7.5m in the January 2008 transfer window.

Twelve months later - and after 15 top flight goals in 31 Pompey appearances - Redknapp signed him again, this time for Tottenham whom he rejoined for £15m.

In 2009/10 he netted 24 goals for Spurs, including a Premier League record equalling five in a 9-1 hammering of Wigan. He also struck a hat-trick in a 5-1 win at Hull and in a 3-1 FA Cup success at Leeds.

In September 2010 he scored another hat-trick - this time for England in a 4-0 European Championship qualifying win against Bulgaria at Wembley. His last international appearance was against Chile in November 2013, the game where Adam Lallana, Jay Rodriguez and Fraser Forster all won their first caps.

In all, Defoe scored 19 times for his country in 55 appearances (A good record, certainly, but not as impressive as his former Pompey and Tottenham strike partner Peter Crouch, who netted 22 England goals in only 42 appearances).

Upon leaving Tottenham for a second time in the summer of 2014, Defoe moved to Canada to sign for MLS outfit Toronto.

Unsurprisingly, he continued to do what he has always done - score goals. And after netting 11 times in 19 appearances for Toronto, he was back in the Premier League.

Then Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce paid what can be considered a bargain £6m to bring Defoe back to England in the 2015 January transfer window.

Then, as now, the Black Cats were deep in a relegation battle. Defoe provided them with an impetus, though, and scored four times in 19 appearances as Sunderland stayed up.