Sheffield pair Jamie Vardy and Gary Cahill take '˜step back' from EnglandÂ

Jamie Vardy has told England manager Gareth Southgate he does not wish to be selected unless there is an injury crisis.
Jamie Vardy has asked England boss Gareth Southgate not to to call him up for international matches unless there are injury issuesJamie Vardy has asked England boss Gareth Southgate not to to call him up for international matches unless there are injury issues
Jamie Vardy has asked England boss Gareth Southgate not to to call him up for international matches unless there are injury issues

The 32-year-old has won 26 caps for his country but does not look like adding to that tally after telling the Guardian of his decision.

"To be honest with you, this has been on my mind for a while," the Leicester man said to the newspaper.

England's Gary Cahill speaks with England manager Gareth SouthgateEngland's Gary Cahill speaks with England manager Gareth Southgate
England's Gary Cahill speaks with England manager Gareth Southgate
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"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."

Vardy added that while he is not making himself available for when Southgate names his first post-World Cup squad on Thursday, "we've not shut the door completely", saying he would come back if "everyone was injured".

Chelsea defender Gary Cahill followed Vardy's lead later on Tuesday - announcing his own decision to all-but end his England career.

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Like Vardy, Cahill played a bit-part in England's progression to the semi-finals of the World Cup.

The 32-year-old started the 1-0 defeat to Belgium in the final group match but did not feature again.

"In terms of my international future I think it is time I take a step back," he 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."

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"I have played pretty solid over the seven or eight years I have been involved - I can see now it is kind of going towards a younger generation," added Cahill.

"For me to take a step back now is the perfect time, but at the same time in your football career you never want to shut a door completely.

"I have been hugely honoured to play for my country and I would never shut the door, if I was ever needed in the future then obviously I'm there."

Cahill has yet to feature for Chelsea under new boss Maurizio Sarri.

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Having made his senior England debut in 2010, Cahill was forced to sit out of Euro 2012 having suffered a broken jaw in a warm-up game.

He would go on to play all of England's three matches at the 2014 World Cup as well as every minute of the European Championships in France two years later.

"In terms of the next meeting coming up and the friendlies where maybe they are looking at other players, I think it is probably more beneficial for them to be playing than me travelling there," he said.

"Such is my relationship with the manager, he was fantastic at the end of the tournament, I had a good chat with him and he could see where I was coming from, understood the situation but at the same time I wouldn't want to totally shut the door."