Everton defender Phil Jagielka has admitted that there will be more opportunities for him due to John Terry retiring from England duty.

The Chelsea stalwart hung his boots up on international action earlier this year due to the ongoing FA investigations into his reported racist remarks to Anton Ferdinand.

As such, Jagielka feels that there is healthy competition for places at centre-back for the Three Lions, and is eager to be involved against Poland on Tuesday.

“John and Rio played together for England forever didn’t they?” Jagielka stated to reporters, published in The Telegraph.

“They had a great partnership. In the last 10 or 11 months, many things have changed. With John deciding to call it a day, it opens the door even more. It is not too cut out who is first name down and that only makes it healthy. No one is guaranteed a place any more.

“I wouldn’t say I resigned myself to not starting but that’s the role you get put into when there are people in front of you who aren’t particularly giving you the opportunity to get a game. If the manager did decide to rest a couple of players in the previous years, when the international qualifiers came around again, you would expect John Terry and Rio Ferdinand to be playing again.

“I’m gutted as an England fan. Terry has been a fantastic player for England, he’s put his body on the line for many years now.

“But he had his reasons. It was his decision — he wasn’t forced as in like a gun to his head or anything. If you look at it from a purely personal point of view, it was one less person to compete with playing for England.

“As much as I was gutted he wasn’t going to play for England again, it was also an opportunity for me to try to go higher up the pecking order. I’ve been around the squad for the last couple of years or so, played a game here and there, and I’d like to play on a more consistent basis,” he concluded.