Defoe has been out of action since September after sustaining ankle ligament damage.
“It’s great to have him back. The other lads have done well in his absence and we scored four goals last week against Blackburn,” said Redknapp.
“But it’s great to have the little fella back. He’s a fantastic goalscorer and he’s different to anybody else.
“He certainly would’ve had six or seven goals by this stage of the season.”