Jack Grealish wasn't showing any signs of his apparent 'poor' form for Manchester City getting to him as he got out of the car at St George's Park on Monday.
"I've forgotten my passport again!" he joked to a member of England staff, suggesting he has form for such a rookie error, adding: "There's a first time for everything" as he triumphantly produced his passport from his bag.
Grealish is a well-liked member of the City and England squads, and it's notable in any behind-the-scenes videos put out by club or country that he makes as much time for support staff as he does for fellow superstars, maintaining the same positive demeanour as he went inside to talk to Gareth Southgate.
But Grealish will also know he has a point to prove to Southgate over the next 10 days as he still needs to gain the trust of the England boss to play regularly for the Three Lions.
In the summer, Grealish was most used as the impact substitute, and despite playing in every game since the Euros he has completed 90 minutes just once. He was replaced on the hour mark of the last 1-1 draw against Hungary despite looking like England's best chance of finding a winner, and needs to overcome the barrier of being the one Southgate turns to when he wants to make a change.
The news that Mason Mount hasn't yet joined the camp will come as a boost for Grealish in purely footballing terms as the Chelsea midfielder recovers from recent dental surgery.
That gives Grealish a chance to persuade Southgate he should be the man to replace Mount for the decisive qualifiers against Albania and San Marino. England need four points to guarantee qualification from the final two games, and Mount would surely have been in pole position to start at least the Albania game.
Now, with his place potentially up for grabs, Grealish will hope he is given the opportunity to show Southgate his value over 90 minutes, as well as hopefully kickstarting his season.
Phil Foden could also benefit from Mount's absence, with Southgate using him in central midfield in the last two qualifiers. Injury and form of others has prevented Foden from holding down a regular place under Southgate, but his performances in the last international break outlined a potential future role as a deep-lying playmaker.
If Mount misses out this week, Foden could take his central spot and Grealish would be free to play on the wing. They would both benefit from two starts and two stand-out performances.
Similarly, Raheem Sterling might be eyeing a goal or two after finding himself out of form and out of favour at City. With Foden and Gabriel Jesus in form, and Grealish given chances to adapt to City on the left, it's been tough for Sterling to play in his favoured wide positions.
These two fixtures are a real opportunity for Sterling to send a message to Pep Guardiola that he deserves to be starting - just like John Stones did in the last break, and the defender will also want to show his derby performance wasn't a one-off.
Like Stones, Aymeric Laporte will be hoping to catch Guardiola's eye after picking up a suspension for the United win. There is a real battle for the two centre-back spots at City, so Stones and Laporte must use any game time they get for their nations to their advantage.
It's a two-horse race for the second centre-back spot at City, but there's also Nathan Ake hoping to break up the competition and he would love to get some minutes under his belt for the Netherlands.
Ake has only completed 90 minutes for his country once in the last 18 months, with just nine caps in that time. He hasn't featured since the Euro 2020 group stages, despite being called up every time. Holland essentially need to win both remaining games to guarantee a World Cup place, so Ake will find it tough to displace Virgil Van Dijk and Matthijs De Ligt.
Finally, Aleks Zinchenko also has a battle on his hands to get minutes in the City defence and displace the in-form Joao Cancelo at left-back for City. Although often deployed in midfield for Ukraine, a confidence-boosting break could boost his chances of more game time back at City in the coming weeks.
Guardiola will be hoping for no injuries and for his players to return in better form than they left City. For the England players, there look to be opportunities for that to happen. Others might have to work harder to send their message.
