Ambition and desire outweigh age, says Spain striker Villa

David Villa is determined to vindicate his international recall by proving age is no hindrance in Spain's upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

The 35-year-old earned a shock recalled to Julen Lopetegui's squad for the matches against Italy and Liechtenstein having not represented the national team since the 2014 World Cup.

Villa is in his third season in Major League Soccer with New York City FC, topping the scoring charts this term with 19 goals in 25 games.

His form has proven too tough to ignore and the ex-Barcelona striker is adamant he still has plenty to offer.

"It is all down to how you look at things and I do not consider my age but how I feel, my ambition and the desire around me to continue competing," Villa told Marca.

"All I can say is that I am here to do the same as always, that the coach came to see me play, against who I was playing and feels that I can help out.

"The next step was that I felt that I could help and so that is why I accepted.

"This is football and people can be certain that I will give 100 percent."

Villa, Spain's all-time leading goalscorer, joins Chelsea forward Alvaro Morata as one of only two out-and-out strikers in Lopetegui's squad.

While Russia 2018 looms large at the end of the season, Villa insists he is concentrating only on helping Spain cement their place at the top of Group G.

"My focus is to help during this period the best I can and then after that we will see what happens," he said.

Spain host Italy in Madrid on Saturday with top spot up for grabs, before visiting bottom-placed Liechtenstein on Tuesday.