Cementing his reputation as one of the most promising centre-backs in the league, Cahill was first called up to the England squad for the game against Kazakhstan in June 2009 following the withdrawal of Rio Ferdinand and has gone on to become a key part of the squad.

Aston Villa handed him his first taste of the professional game in November 2004 when joining Championship side Burnley on loan for the remainder of the season. He was named Burnley's Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year and the England Under-21 international was handed a Villa squad number for 2005-06.

He began to make his mark at Villa Park but fell out of favour under Martin O'Neill and was heavily linked with cross-city rivals Birmingham before plumping for a £5 million move to Bolton in January 2008, becoming a vital player for the Trotters and cementing his place in Fabio Capello's England squad.

With his contract running down in 2012, Cahill opted to move on and Bolton were keen to recoup a transfer fee by selling him in January. Chelsea swooped and he signed a deal to take him to Stamford Bridge for around £7 million.

Strengths: Committed and strong, Cahill is a no-nonsense defender who is good in the tackle and an aerial threat. He also boasts a decent turn of pace.

Weaknesses: Consistency has been a problem for the defender and his positioning has been exposed occasionally.

Career high: Named the Bolton Players' Player of the Year for 2008-09.

Career low: Failure to break through into the Villa first XI under Martin O'Neill left him in search of a move.

Style: Whole-hearted, powerful, a leader on the pitch.

Quotes: ''Mentally he is there, as well as physically and ability-wise. There is no doubt for me that he will really push himself into that England squad." Owen Coyle on Gary Cahill, June 2010.

Trivia: Cahill suffered a blood clot in his left arm after a training injury which forced him to pull out of the home game against Fulham on February 6, 2010 and kept him sidelined for months afterwards.