CALL ON ME Jags revved up for Lions return

The Everton captain, 34, was not fancied by Roy Hodgson in his squad for Euro 2016, where Chris Smalling and Gary Cahill got the nod. But he was brought back in from the cold by Sam Allardyce and interim boss Gareth Southgate selected him for his squads to face Malta and Slovenia. Jagielka, though, was forced to withdraw with a thigh injury and did not get the chance to stake his claim for one of the centre-half spots. Now, the ex-Sheffield United man is wondering whether Southgate will give him a call as he names his squad for games with Scotland and Spain and tell him the good news that he can finally win cap No.40. He knows that competition is fierce at the back, especially with the emergence of young bucks Michael Keane and Ben Gibson in the last 12 months. Jagielka said: “My England status is a difficult question for me to answer. I fully understood Roy Hodgson’s reasons for not taking too many centre-halves to the Euros. “John Stones didn’t get a minute on the pitch in France so there would have been zero chance of me getting any. “As far as the future is concerned, I couldn’t honestly tell you. “With Michael Keane doing really well at Burnley and forcing himself into the squad, I know that if many more young centre-halves come through then there isn’t much of a future for me at that level. “Having said that, I am sure I’m still handy enough to have around at certain times and that might be my role.” Jagielka knows that time is not on his side as he battles to stay fit as he marches through his thirties. But he will not give up on England – until they give up on him. He still has a major role to play at Everton under Ronald Koeman and if – or when – the international call comes he will be more than ready to play for the Three Lions with pride. He added: “Sometimes, it’s all down to luck with internationals. You get a kick on a muscle, it’s sore and you have to drop out of the squad. “It’s difficult for international coaches as well because they can’t run players into the ground like they do at club level because they aren’t your players. “There’s a fine balance. I’m not surprised when I see lads playing for their clubs after pulling out of a squad because resting for a week can be massive. “Speaking to our new boss, he understands as he has played international football. Gone are the days when you can accuse lads of pulling out for no reason. “We all want to play for our countries and with England it is a ridiculously competitive squad to try to get in. So I don’t think there are too many question marks about whether we want to play for England.”