Gary Cahill may have had a difficult season but he is hoping for a strong finish in order to ensure that he wins selection to the England national team squad, which will travel to Russia this summer for the 2018 World Cup.

This term Chelsea have looked like a shadow of the team that they were last season as they eased to the Premier League title and manager Antonio Conte has not been shy from dropping Cahill due to his inconsistent performances.

This has been one of the most difficult campaigns for the 32-year-old Cahill, who has won six major trophies in as many years with Chelsea.

He told Standard Sport: "For me, it's been tough. It has been hard having to sit out massive games, watching us fall by the wayside and not being able to have a huge impact on that.

"People can argue that as a captain you can still have an impact in the dressing room but it's difficult when you're not playing in those big games.

"We have slipped out of the Champions League and are now in fifth position in the table, so that's disappointing."