Chelsea defender Gary Cahill feels he can fill the void in England's backline left by club captain John Terry.
Cahill is seen by many as Terry's ultimate successor at Stamford Bridge.
And although the pair have not spoken specifically about the England situation since the latter accused the FA of making his position "untenable", Cahill had little doubt what his team-mate thought.
"I've not really had that one-to-one conversation about that particular situation," Cahill said.
"He's always encouraged me and I hope he wishes me well."
Last night's 5-0 thrashing of one of the worst teams in international football would have told England boss Roy Hodgson little about Cahill's defensive capabilities.
"You don't really take too much out of that because you don't really get asked many questions in the game," Cahill said.
"It's always nice when that happens."