Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield will only receive a Canada call-up for "big games" as he steps up his return from injury.
Boss John Herdman has revealed ongoing discussions with the Ibrox star over his international future.
Arfield hasn't featured for Steven Gerrard's side since Boxing Day after picking up an ankle issue against Hibs but is expected to be fit for Europa League clashes with Royal Antwerp later in February.
At 32, he's only played once for his national side since November 2019.
Canada face World Cup qualifiers against Bermuda and the Cayman Islands in March,
Arfield has insisted he hasn't retired from international duty and that any decision to call him up lies with the manager.
Herdman, however, accepts the player's full focus is trained on winning the title with Rangers.
He said: "It’s an ongoing conversation with Scott. In his experiences now, he knows he’s getting late in his career. He’s got a very young family, so it’s about the right moments.
"I think for Scott, certainly this year, he’s got one focus and that’s to win the title with Rangers. He feels deeply committed to achieving that for the fans and he knows he can’t be getting pulled into international activity too frequently.
"The impact it had on him the previous season when we were pushing for the Nations League, it’s tough. His body is starting to ask him some critical questions.
"I think there’s definitely some issues he’s got behind the scenes in terms of his commitments and from my side, I’ll always respect him.
"But I think when the big games come, I think Scott will be available."
