Bolton Wanderers defender Gary Cahill admits he feels under constant pressure over his England place from rivals at bigger clubs.

After missing out on a dream move to Arsenal in the summer, when the Gunners failed to come up with the £18million that would have forced Bolton to sell, Cahill has been at the heart of a defence that has conceded 21 goals in six successive defeats.

Cahill said: "It would mean everything to me to go to the Euros with England and I hope that I have proved that I am ready for it.

"I will have to help Bolton turn things around if I want to be involved with England.

"I haven't got a bad word to say about Bolton because the club has been so important to my career.

"But obviously, it is going to be harder for a player to hold down an England place if you are battling at the opposite end of the table to players who you are challenging with.

"I look at players such as Rio Ferdinand, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling at Manchester United and they are at a club that's having a terrific season.

"They are a big part of what is happening at United, so it's always going to be hard for me.

"I have played the past three internationals, so you can play for Bolton and England.

"But it's also a fact of life that I will always be looking over my shoulder for players who are at the top clubs.

"Competition is healthy and all I can do is my best for Bolton, keep working hard and hope that it's good enough for Fabio Capello."