England duo Jamie Vardy and Gary Cahill have announced their retirement from international football.
Both players were involved in Gareth Southgate's side that reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, marking their country's best finish since 1990.
However, the two Englishmen have confirmed that they will be stepping down from the setup to offer the younger generations an opportunity to represent their country.
"This has been on my mind for a while," Vardy, 31, told The Guardian.
"I'm not getting any younger and you can see, to be fair to the gaffer, he wants to make it more youthful, which obviously had its benefits during the World Cup - we got to the semi-finals and finished fourth, which is equal to the furthest we have ever been on foreign soil.
"So I just said to Gareth [Southgate] that I think it's probably best from now on, especially with the way he wants to go, to bring youngsters in who he thinks have got the ability and start nurturing them into international football."
Meanwhile, Chelsea defender Cahill will end an eight-year career with England after amassing 61 caps.
"I think in terms of my international future I think it's time I take a step back now. I feel that it's the right moment to do that," Cahill told Chelsea TV.
"I have been hugely proud of what I have achieved in terms of over 60 caps, I've captained my country on a few occasions which has been a huge honour, it's something I have been really proud of in terms of my career.
"I can see now it's going in a younger generation and I think for me to take a step back now is the perfect time."
England will play their Nations League opener against Spain on September 8, before facing Switzerland in a friendly three days later.
Matthew Jones
