Gary Cahill feared Chelsea form would cost him England World Cup place

• 32-year-old left out of Gareth Southgate’s squad for friendlies
• ‘I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit nervous,’ says defender

Gary Cahill feared the worst when his phone flashed with a missed call from Gareth Southgate this month. He had ample reason to believe the England manager was preparing to deliver bad news. After being appointed captain in March 2017 Cahill found himself out of Southgate’s plans a year later, omitted from the squad for two friendlies and struggling for form at Chelsea.

“I thought potentially it could be bad news because in my experience of being involved with England for seven or eight years you usually don’t get the call – you just receive the information that you’re going to meet up and what times,” Cahill said. “So to get the call a different way, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit nervous.”

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from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2kxjyfG