WATCH: Phil Jagielka on his England career

The former Sheffield United and Everton and current Stoke City man speaks to Steve Freeth about representing his country on the international stage.

Throughout his time on Merseyside with Everton, Phil Jagielka established himself as one of the country's best defenders, earning his first call-up in May 2008, and winning his first cap a few weeks later.

Having missed out on the 2010 World Cup, Jagielka received the call four years later, then an established and more experienced fixture in the squad, before going on to captain the Three Lions against Lithuania in 2015.

His first call-up came towards the end of the 2007/08 season for a trip across the Atlantic to Trinidad and Tobago, in which Jagielka got off the bench to collect his first cap.

Over nearly 10 years, Jagielka appeared for England 40 times, and he sat down with bet365's Steve to talk about his international career.

"There were little rumours [about a call-up in 2008], but it was a great trip for me, getting on, getting my debut," said Jagielka.

"I pretty much knew I was sort of a shoo-in [in 2014]. When you're involved and you're expecting a text it's a little bit different and we'd had good dialogue throughout. 

"I remember driving my little boy to footy training when the group came out and thinking 'wow!'. They were calling it the 'Group of Death' and we'd be playing in Manaus, so there were loads of little things that weren't going our way. Unfortunately, the tournament was a frustrating time, a little bit transitional."

Watch the full interview above to hear Jagielka's thoughts on the ill-fated 2010 World Cup, and his England career from teammates and team chemistry to Fabio Capello and Roy Hodgson.

Steve Freeth

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