Gary Cahill will captain England in Saturday's friendly clash with Germany in Berlin - but the defender admits dropping out of the Chelsea team earlier in the season had him worried over his immediate international future.
The 30-year-old lost his place at the heart of the Blues' defence to Kurt Zouma, with former England skipper John Terry partnering the Frenchman for the reigning Barclays Premier League champions.
It has been a year to forget for all involved at Stamford Bridge as they failed to defend their crown, slipping to within uncomfortable distance of the relegation zone before sacking Jose Mourinho in December after a run of nine defeats in 16 league games.
Guus Hiddink's return as interim boss saw Cahill's first team outings decline for much of December and January - although he has since enjoyed a resurgence, with Zouma ruled out for the rest of the campaign with a serious knee injury.
Having started Chelsea's last nine games, Cahill will lead England out in the Olympiastadion in the absence of injured captain Wayne Rooney, looking to cement his place in Roy Hodgson's squad ahead of this summer's European Championships.
"First and foremost it is good that I'm back in the team and back out playing, it was concerning for me at that moment in time," he said when asked about his lack of games around the turn of the year.
"I'm a player that wants to be out playing just like everyone else as much as possible because you can't show what you can do when you're not in the team.
"It is important for me to be back in the team, everyone is aware of the season and the situation we have had at Chelsea and that has not been too great.
"Form-wise I feel good, I feel fit - it is important that I'm out there, I'm feeling sharp and getting game time."
Cahill has only once before captained England from the start of an international - the Euro 2016 qualification victory at home to Estonia in October - and he is relishing the prospect of again leading his country.
"To play for your country is enough but to be captain is a very special moment and one I'm looking forward to," he said.
"We spoke a few months ago and said we were going in the right direction, the qualification group went tremendously well.
"We have got two games coming up now (against Germany and Holland) that are equally as good tests, not the be all and end all but nevertheless, the way we want to play we are working on all the time and I think we are going in the right direction without getting too carried away.
"When you pull on the England shirt you want to go out and do the very best and get victories playing the right way, we know we are going to be judged, especially against tough opposition like this.
"We want to go on playing the way we have been playing and hope that is enough. It is another great test and one we are all looking forward to."
Source: PA
