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Striker Jamie Vardy has effectively retired from international football and informed coach Gareth Southgate of his decision.

The Leicester City forward has step aside to aid Southgate's plan of a new generation of players and spend more time with his family.

The 31-year-old has not completely ruled out playing for England again but believes the time is right to move back from international duty after helping his country in Russia.

'This has been on my mind for a while,' Vardy 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.

'So I just said to Gareth 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.'

'When you get selected, you want to be playing. And if it's not happening, then forme personally now, at this age, it's better to be at home, spending that time with my family and training with my club, preparing for the next game after the international break,' Vardy said.

'I explained it all to Gareth and he was fine with my decision. I mentioned it to him after the World Cup had finished, out in Russia, and then I spoke to him on the phone a couple of weeks ago.

'He let it die down a bit, so that I could have a bit more time to think, and then rang me up just to make sure I wasn't just taking the mickey in Russia. But I hadn't changed my mind.

'Gareth said that he felt I still had a lot to offer, and we've not shut the door completely. If the worst came to happen and everyone was injured, then obviously I wouldn't say no.'

'I thought I could have helped a bit more if I had more minutes,' Vardy said.

'You know that you can hurt opponents in certain ways, in the way you play. But it wasn't to be. And you have to respect the manager's decisions.'

Jamie Vardy made his debut in 2015 and has scored a total of 7 goals in 26 caps for the Three Lions of England.

Source:>>>https://www.sportdab.com.ng/2018/08/england-forward-jamie-vardy-retires.html

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