Gareth Southgate appeared to suggest that England's next Euro 2020 group-stage game with Scotland will come too soon for Jordan Henderson, leaving Kalvin Phillips in pole position to line up from the start once more tomorrow night.
Leeds United star Phillips was outstanding in England's 1-0 win over Croatia to open their European Championship campaign on Sunday and was widely expected to retain his place in the Three Lions starting XI anyway.
But after being quizzed on Henderson's role in the squad, Southgate hinted at the Liverpool captain still getting back to full fitness and highlighting the emergence of both Phillips and Borussia Dortmund starlet Jude Bellingham as reasons why they could be cautious over his return.
"I think with a 26-man squad we were able to take a little bit more of a risk with Hendo," he told reporters at a press conference on Thursday night.
"And what he brings to the group on the training pitch, what he brings around the camp, his experience, the way that he can speak to some of the other players in those quiet moments when you're around the hotel, the way he trains, the way he approaches his work, it's a great advantage for us to have him in with the team.
"He is training consistently now and he is getting closer to the level that we need him to be at.
"And also I think we have got some decent cover in that area of the pitch but I think the drop-off from not taking Hendo was such that we preferred to give him the opportunity to make it.
"And we obviously have Jude coming through as well which has been a real bonus as well as Kalvin so you've got to have the physical part right, there's no doubt about that, even if it's for 15 or 20 minutes of a game you have got to press well, you have got to be able to get around the pitch well.
"But there are other factors when you are building a squad and when you are building a team and all of those parts are key to producing a winning environment."
Bellingham came on for Harry Kane, who appeared alongside Southgate at the press briefing, for the final eight minutes at Wembley against Croatia and England round off Group D against Czech Republic, which may offer the manager an opportunity to rotate if England have already qualified and allow for the likes of Henderson to receive much-needed minutes.
In the meantime, Leeds United's very own appears set to benefit from Henderson's likely continued absence.
