Cahill hopeful of World Cup spot after winning Chelsea place back

Gary Cahill has declared “everything is a possibility” in his bid for World Cup selection after winning back his starting place at Chelsea.

The Blues defender helped steer Antonio Conte’s men to the FA Cup final with Sunday’s 2-0 win over Southampton, then set his sights on making Gareth Southgate’s England squad.

Southgate omitted Cahill from England’s ranks for the recent friendlies against Holland and Italy, leaving the 32-year-old sweating on regaining his place for this summer’s tournament in Russia.

But after returning to top form with Chelsea, Cahill now feels ready to prove his point at the business end of the domestic campaign.

“Everything is a possibility when you’re playing, hence why I’m happy to be back out there,” said Cahill.

“Let’s see what happens at the end of the season. We’re in the (FA Cup) final now, the World Cup is coming. Let’s wait and see.”

Cahill believes he has nothing to prove to anyone and feels he is returning to peak condition.

“I’ve always said the same thing. Whenever I’ve been out of the team, you don’t just disappear, you don’t just turn into a bad player overnight,” said Cahill.

“Form, if you ride it out, you come back to the level you should be at. I thought I played well (against Southampton), I thought I did well against Burnley, and you can do as much running as you want but to get match fit, match sharp, you need to be out there.

“I realise that is the situation with everybody. I realise the manager has decisions to make. I realise maybe I’m not getting any younger.

“I’m fit, I’m ready to go. I don’t feel like, in a weird way, that I need to prove anything. I’ve done it before, time and time again.

“I’m just happy to be out there and enjoying it. More than trying to prove anything, just being out there and enjoying doing one of the best jobs in the world, which is playing football.

“If I’m happy with the way I’m playing that is good enough for me because I know I am at the right level where I should be. I’m my own worst critic when I’m playing and I’m happy I had a solid game.”