Trevoh Chalobah left out of pocket by England World Cup call-up and is battling for refund

Nothing beats a holiday, so it’s no surprise Trevoh Chalobah is trying to get his money back after cutting his short to join England’s World Cup squad.

The Chelsea star had been on a break after a long season in the Premier League and Champions League.

Chalobah only has one cap for England so farGetty

He was one of the Blues’ most consistent stars in a tricky campaign at Stamford Bridge.

That form at centre-back, where he played 47 times across the year, saw him make England’s 55-man shortlist for the World Cup.

He didn’t make the cut for manager Thomas Tuchel‘s final 26.

However, when Newcastle right-back Tino Livramento was ruled out of the tournament, Chalobah was the trusted figure the German turned to.

But the 26-year-old did make his international head coach wait.

Chalobah said: “I wouldn’t say [I was] ready, but I was on holiday in New York already, just planning my holiday and not thinking about the World Cup.

“I just got the text on the Monday, I was surprised and I was ready to go.

“When we got the news at the end of the season whether we were selected or not, he said ‘you’re close’.

“I was disappointed that I didn’t make it but he did say ‘stay ready’. So I managed to have a few sessions here and there but really it was about enjoying my holiday.

“I flew up to New York and was meant to go to Los Angeles after that but obviously had to cut it short when I got the message on Monday. I am still trying to get my money back,” he laughed.

Tuchel had to wait for a response from Chalobah but he got the answer he wantedGetty

Queried where he was when the call happened, he added: “I was literally in Times Square. I went to the shops to get something. It was when I got back to my hotel I saw Thomas had texted, but it was two hours before.

“I didn’t see the message for two hours. I wasn’t on my phone, I was just walking around the city. Got back to the hotel, looked at my phone and he had asked if I could call him. My heart just dropped.

“We spoke on FaceTime and he broke the news to me. I was just over the moon.”

Asked if he and Tuchel had spoken about what role he might play, Chalobah replied: “Yes, he said right centre-back and be ready. I will be ready.”

What happened next came naturally.

“I just called my family, called my agent,” he said. “It was one of those times, it was early morning [in the UK] so I texted my agent and said ‘wake up, wake up’. He thought I was in trouble.

Chalobah made his England debut in a 3-1 defeat to Senegal last summerGetty

“It is [the] number one [moment of my career], especially because I didn’t expect it.

“I think that is the beautiful thing about it, when you didn’t expect it and to get a call like that shows that obviously when you think all is lost or it’s not going to happen, that tweet I had came true.”

And Chalobah has admitted he and Tuchel have a great bond as their careers have intertwined.

He said: “When I was at Chelsea, he tried to bring me to Bayern [Munich]. We’ve always had that special relationship. He’s the one that gave me my [Chelsea] debut in 2021 in my breakthrough season. So we’ve always had that.

“My England debut as well. We have that strong connection. He is really fun. When I was at Chelsea, [he was] really demanding, which helped me. We have that really fun, banterous relationship and I love it.”

Some did question the decision to call Chalobah into the squad with Lewis Hall another option to replace Livramento.

Tuchel knows he can trust Chalobah having given him his Chelsea debutGetty

But it’s not the first time he has had to silence his critics having almost been sold by Chelsea a couple of times.

Speaking on his topsy-turvy career, Chalobah said: “I love my career. I love what I’ve been through. It’s all part of not just football, but going through life as a person; there are always going to be ups and downs, it’s never going to be smooth, but for me, I’ve loved every minute.

“I know the player I am. I know how far I’ve come. I know what I’ve been through, so I can’t allow those moments to define who I am. I just use those moments as fuel to always prove people wrong and I love it.”