Jamie Vardy has effectively retired from international football after telling England manager Gareth Southgate that he “feels the time is right” to remove himself from contention.
Vardy reportedly informed Southgate that a number of factors have influenced his decision, including his age (31), his desire to spend more time at home with his family, and being intent on prolonging his club career as much as possible.
As per the Telegraph, the Leicester City forward has also accepted that he is unlikely to feature much for England in the future even if he does remain part of the squad.
Having amassed 26 caps since his first call-up in May 2015, Vardy told Southgate that he was thinking about calling it quits shortly before the Three Lions returned home from the World Cup.
This was later reaffirmed in a phone call with Southgate approximately a fortnight ago, when the England boss contacted Vardy to ask if he’d changed his mind ahead of upcoming fixtures against Spain and Switzerland.
Not that Vardy made the most memorable impact on the international scene, but his withdrawal further weakens England’s already fairly weak attacking options.
Beyond Harry Kane, we’re left with Danny Welbeck, Marcus Rashford, Daniel Sturridge, Andy Carroll, and possibly Tammy Abraham and Dominic Solanke as potential foils.
There was a time when Robbie Fowler, Ian Wright, Les Ferdinand and Andy Cole couldn’t get a regular cap.
Bloomin’ heck. Where did all the strikers go?
UPDATE: Along with Vardy, Gary Cahill has also announced that he is calling time on his England career after recognising that it is the “perfect time” to step aside and let the younger generation take over.