Cahill and Vardy call time on England

Jamie Vardy and Gary Cahill have both effectively called time on their international careers.

With Gareth Southgate naming his first England squad since the finals tomorrow, two of the more experienced members of the group i n Russia have clarified their future.

Non-league player-turned England striker Vardy has decided to all-but retire from the national team after scoring seven 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 said. “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 captained the Three Lions several times, with the 32-year-old part of the squad at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups as well as Euro 2016.

“I have played pretty solid over the seven or eight years I have been involved, something again I have been very proud of - I can see now it is kind of going towards a younger generation,” he added.

Cahill’s sentiments echoed those of Vardy, who has been a Three Lions 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 said.

“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 it’s probably best from now on, especially with the way he wants to go, to bring youngsters in and start nurturing them into international football.”