New Woking manager Jermain Defoe has set out his vision for his time at the club.

The role is the former Tottenham and England striker’s first permanent managerial position, and he can’t wait to get started.

“It's been a long time coming,” said Defoe.

“It was always the plan towards the back end of my career to go into coaching.

“I'm delighted to be here. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

“The club has a great history and good fans.

“When you look at the infrastructure, it's somewhere I hope players will want to come and play.

“I'm looking forward to it. The talks have been going on for a while and I want to get going.

“You've got to be grateful for every opportunity you get. Everyone's journey is different. If you look at successful managers, everyone's journey has been different.

“For me, it's important to appreciate the opportunity. It was no different when I was a player.

“You have to earn your stripes and do your apprenticeship. Just because I've had a good career I can't expect to jump in at the top or get that opportunity. I'm really looking forward to the opportunity.”

Woking have publicly stated their ambition of getting promoted to the Football League in the future, and Defoe admitted that ambition was part of the attraction for him taking the job at the National League club.

“We're ambitious people,” said Defoe.

“I'm someone who loves football. I want to do well.

“The main objective is to get promoted. With the players we've got, there's some good players here – some top players.

“I believe that we can go to the next level.

“You have to be confident. You always have to back yourself, whether you're a player, a manager or a coach. You always have to back yourself and believe you can make a difference.

“I know there's been a lot of noise around the appointment. The fact of the matter is you've got to win football matches. That's why I'm here.

“When a manager comes in you come in to help the group of players get better and win games, but I’m going to need help as well.

“I've never played at this level. I know people that have – I've got a lot of friends in the game that have played at this level. I've worked with coaches that have played at this level.

“It's always going to be a challenge, regardless of the league or the level. When this opportunity came about, it was an easy decision.

"There's always going to be expectation on any manager at any level. A manager of a football club has to win.

“The expectation is something I've missed. That challenge, and preparing a team to win on the weekend with everyone fighting for three points is something I'm looking forward to.

"I can't wait to get started.

“I need to focus on doing what I do best, in terms of trying to give this group of players a platform to go out and perform.

“Getting to know the players personally is important. A big part of management is knowing the person before the player.

"I believe with this group of players we'll be successful.”