England U21 manager Aidy Boothroyd chose not to call-up Trent Alexander-Arnold after simply deciding the Liverpool right-back was now a fully-fledged senior player.
Alexander-Arnold was snubbed by England manager Gareth Southgate for the Three Lions' upcoming World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland.
The 22-year-old was a major absence from the 26-man squad announced last week.
However, Alexander-Arnold is still eligible to compete for the England U21s - who play Switzerland, Portugal and Croatia in their Euro 2021 qualifiers this week - with their squad containing a number of Premier League stars including the likes of Mason Greenwood, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Curtis Jones and Ben Godfrey.
"There comes a time when he [Alexander-Arnold] becomes a senior player," manager Boothroyd said.
"He wasn't a consideration for us."
Reds star Alexander-Arnold has been a regular in the senior England squad since making his debut in June 2018 ahead of the last World Cup in which he became only the fourth teenager to start a finals game for his country.
However, he missed out on the last round of international games in November having suffered a calf problem.
And Southgate chose to keep faith in right-backs Kieran Trippier of Atletico Madrid and Kyle Walker of Manchester City, while Chelsea youngster Reece James is clearly preferred as the third choice.
"There are some areas of the pitch where we have some incredible competition for places, and Trent is very unfortunate," the manager said last week after his squad announcement.
"I don't think he has played at the level that he found in the last couple of years, but I think he is getting very close that now.
"In the last few weeks, he has definitely taken steps in the right direction.
"It's simply that Reece James and Kieran Trippier have had exceptional seasons really with their clubs. Kyle Walker is in great form with Manchester City.
"There are other players in the league who are also playing well in that position, (Matty) Cash at Aston Villa and (Luke) Ayling at Leeds. We have two really good right-backs in the under-21s, so it's a remarkable position of strength."
