Gary Cahill admits his omission from the Chelsea first-team earlier in the season had him worried over his immediate England future.
The 30-year-old will captain England in the absence of Wayne Rooney in their friendly match against Germany at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Saturday night.
It has been a year to forget for all involved at Chelsea, with the Blues failing to defend their Premier League crown and slipping to within an uncomfortable distance of the relegation zone before sacking Jose Mourinho in December.
Guus Hiddink's return to Stamford Bridge saw Cahill's first-team outings decline for much of December and January, with Kurt Zouma and John Terry the preferred central defensive partnership.
Cahill has since enjoyed a resurgence at Chelsea after Zouma was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a serious knee injury suffered in Chelsea's 1-1 draw against Manchester United in February.
And having started Chelsea's last nine games, Cahill says he is looking cement his place in Roy Hodgson's England team ahead of the 2016 European Championships in France.
"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 2016 European Championships 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."