GM tips Cahill for World Cup spot

24 September 2009 15:27
Cahill, 23, has attracted admiring glances from England boss Fabio Capello and earned a call-up to the squad for the World Cup qualifiers with Kazakhstan and Andorra in June. Full international honours beckon for a player who has been linked with a move to Italian giants Juventus, as a possible long-term replacement for Fabio Cannavaro, and AC Milan. Megson has no doubt the centre-back's star will continue to rise. Megson said: "I've heard the rumours but I would expect Juventus, AC Milan, Real Madrid and every club in Europe to know about Gary Cahill. "All the big teams over here will be aware of him too because there are not enough good players about. "Whether Fabio Capello has recommended him to another club I very much doubt. "But if you ask anybody for an opinion of Gary Cahill then I'm sure they will all say the same thing. "Gary is a top, top player. He is 6ft 3in, he is quick, he has ability and he is a great lad." Whether Cahill can sufficiently impress Capello in the coming months to earn a ticket to South Africa remains to be seen. England captain John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Joleon Lescott, Matthew Upson and possibly Ledley King are ahead of him in the pecking order. Yet Megson feels Cahill has the desire and the ability to muscle his way onto the plane for next summer's finals. Megson added: "Is South Africa a realistic option for Gary? Without a doubt. "Fabio Capello must look at the players he can choose from and find it difficult to leave certain people out. "At centre-half we have an embarrassment of riches, but they're not always fit and at the top of their game. "At some point in the past, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry will have been in the same position that Gary Cahill is in. "They've got in there and established themselves as the first-choice pairing and Gary has to accept that. "But he can't do any more than he is doing right now." Eyebrows were raised when Megson paid Aston Villa £5million for Cahill in January 2008. He has exceeded all expectations and Megson added: "We took a chance on him. "I think he had only played 17 Premier League matches, and we paid a lot of money for him. "I've spoken to him about areas I feel he can improve his game, but that comes with the experience and always being in the team and playing well."

Source: Team_Talk