When England's squad for November's World Cup qualifiers was announced, Mason Greenwood's name was one of the more noticeable omissions.
The Manchester United forward hasn't played an international game since making his debut in September 2020, but it has since emerged there is a reason for him sitting out the games against Albania and San Marino.
Greenwood has declined a call-up, according to Gareth Southgate, with the England manager saying the 20-year-old "absolutely wants to play for England" but is first focusing on nailing down his situation at club level.
And, after witnessing what has happened to some of his international colleagues after putting in a huge amount of minutes for club and country at a young age, perhaps we should be looking at his decision with fresh eyes.
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Greenwood has grown into an important squad member at Manchester United, playing his hundredth game for the club last season and hitting four goals already this term.
However, there is considerable competition for places at Old Trafford, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho joining over the summer and Jesse Lingard returning from loan.
With other options including Edinson Cavani, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, the competition faced by Greenwood is significant to the point that he may feel one distraction is one too many.
There may be another consideration, though, and Rashford's recent return from injury may have acted as a trigger as Greenwood attempts to set himself up for a healthy future.
Rashford delayed surgery on a shoulder issue until after Euro 2020, having missed games with the problem during the last Premier League season.
The forward also sat out a chunk of the 2019-20 campaign with a back injury, and has previously spoken about the need to manage a foot injury.
Rashford has been among the goals since returning from his latest surgery, but Greenwood may have looked at his teammate's struggles and determined now is not the time to add anything to his workload if his fitness and related performance levels could suffer.
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Rashford, at the age of 24, has long been at a point in his career where he will play for his club when fit - and often when not fully healthy.
The same goes for another England striker, Harry Kane, who has been struggling for goals in the Premier League this term.
Kane had been unable to show his best form before the 2020 suspension of the league, looking less prolific even before his injury in January of that year, but appeared to gain a new lease on life after an extended break.
He was another who thrived last season, but he's also another who will be brought back early from injury if there's a chance to positively impact a game, such is his quality.
When you're a player like Kane - 28 and with years at the top level behind you - you might be able to risk a drop-off by rushing back when not fully fit. But might Greenwood feel as though he can't do the same?
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Some might look at Greenwood's decision and think back to the actions of Manchester United players under Sir Alex Ferguson, when withdrawal from international squads was commonplace.
However, this is not simply a case of a player sitting out friendlies to remain sharp for his club - the United forward has opted out of competitive fixtures, knowing full well that it could hinder his chances of future inclusion with a World Cup just a year away.
Southgate has sometimes be reluctant to bring new faces into the fold immediately, with a number of England players needing to be patient before breaking into his team.
With this in mind, perhaps Greenwood is thinking beyond Qatar and attempting to give himself the best England career possible, rather than settling for just a run of games for his country.
The issue with decisions like these is that we won't know if it's the right move until some way down the line.
However, this kind of restraint can give a young player a great platform on which to build at a later date, and it's hard to be too critical when the alternative is doing too much too soon.
