Cahill: I should still play for England
GARY CAHILL is determined to prove to Sam Allardyce he should be a part of the new England coach’s plans, writes Simon Johnson.
The Chelsea defender (above) was a member of the squad humiliatingly knocked out of Euro 2016 by Iceland last month.
The 30-year-old, who was vice-captain under previous boss Roy Hodgson, is desperate to begin the season strongly so he can add to his 47 caps.
Cahill told Standard Sport: “I am excited to be working under
Sam. I’m looking to impress him at the start of the season and looking to impress him, if I’m fortunate enough to be involved in the squad.
“I’m looking to keep involved and keep that shirt. I’m very passionate to play for my country.
“His appointment is an exciting one for us. It’s going to be a change. It’s going to be interesting to work under him, have his ideas and take them on board. It’s down to me to impress him and make sure I hit the ground running so that I am in the squad when he selects them.”
England’s first match under Allardyce will be the World Cup qualifier away at Slovakia on September 4.
The Football Association had earmarked a friendly at home for three days earlier, only for Allardyce to tell them he would prefer to work with the players at St George’s Park.
The former Sunderland manager will name his first squad at the end of August, meaning Cahill is set to have three Premier League games with Chelsea to make a good impression.
Meanwhile, Jack Wilshere has spoken for the first time about England’s embarrassing defeat against Iceland at the Euros.
The midfielder said: “We can all look back on it now. We were just not good enough on that particular day. Maybe the pressure got to us but, at the end of the day, we were not good enough. That was it.”