Vardy and Cahill
Premier League striker, Jamie Vardy, and defender, Gary Cahill have both effectively called time on their international careers after helping England reach the World Cup semi-finals.
With Gareth Southgate naming his first squad since the finals this Thursday, two of the more experienced members of the group in Russia have clarified their future.
Vardy decided to retire from the national team after scoring 7 goals in 26 appearances, while Cahill is stepping back after representing England on 61 occasions.
“In terms of my international future I think it is time I take a step back,” Cahill told Chelsea TV.
“Now I feel is the right moment to do that, I feel hugely proud of what I have achieved in terms of over 60 caps, I have captained my country on a few occasions which is a huge honour.”
Cahill’s sentiments echoed those of Vardy, who has been an England regular since making his debut against the Republic of Ireland in June 2015.
“To be honest with you, this has been on my mind for a while,” Vardy told The Guardian of his decision.
“I’m not getting any younger and you can see, to be fair to the gaffer, he wants to make it more youthful, which obviously had its benefits during the World Cup – we got to the semi-finals and finished fourth, which is equal to the furthest we have ever been on foreign soil.
“So, I just said to Gareth that I think it’s probably best from now on, especially with the way he wants to go, to bring youngsters in who he thinks have got the ability and start nurturing them into international football.”
Southgate said in the summer that the 23 selected for the finals would never be together again, with the England manager pushing towards building a young, exciting team.
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