In saying nothing, James Maddison said it all.
Will you be disappointed if you are not named in the England squad this week?
'No comment,' came his reply. The subtext was clear - I better be in it.
And he will be. If anything, the only question is whether he starts against Bulgaria at Wembley a week on Saturday.
Given that Gareth Southgate was here at Bramall Lane to witness Maddison's latest exhibition of class, cunning and control, there will surely be a temptation to reward the Leicester forward with his first cap.
We are still in August but come May you are unlikely to have seen a better pass than the one Maddison provided for Jamie Vardy's opening goal. It is unfair to merely label it a 'throughball'. That would suggest he simply gave Vardy something to chase.
It was so much more than that, a sat-nav pass, if you like - a measured, arching delivery with the outside of his right boot which travelled from the centre circle to the fringe of the six-yard area before Vardy lashed home first time.
And that was another thing, it was dispatched with an instruction, the sort of ball that talks to the recipient - hit me!
Maddison, 22, is of that new generation of player for whom touch and technique is second nature. Phil Foden, Mason Mount, Jadon Sancho, it is a given they can take care of a football.
It is what they then do with it that makes the difference. To that end, Maddison is slowly proving his worth as a game-changer.
Last season was his first in the Premier League following a £24million move from Norwich City. He scored seven and laid on the same number for team-mates, accounting for more than a quarter of Leicester's goals.
And that is where he needs to take his game to be considered for England starting honours. Look at Raheem Sterling and his emergence as a free-scoring forward for Manchester City.
Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers managed Sterling at Liverpool and he sees similarities between the pair in terms of mentality. Given Sterling's mental strength, that is a very favourable comparison.
Indeed, it was no surprise to see weekend headlines linking Manchester United with a move for Maddison, the figures mentioned in the same region as the £80m it took to prise Harry Maguire from the King Power Stadium this summer.
But, for now, Maddison is central to Rodgers' assault on the top six. Leicester weren't at their very best against Sheffield United and needed a second-half stunner from substitute Harvey Barnes to claim a first victory of the season after two draws, but there is a lot to like about their side. If any team is ready to upset the established top order then it is them.
'They are young, hungry and they want to learn,' said Rodgers, for whom England Under-21 midfielder Hamza Choudhury was also excellent. 'Without getting carried, we have started well and it is about consistency now.
'If you watch the team, it is exciting. Whether you are in a higher position, we are always trying to craft a position to score, or from a deeper position where we have pace to break out on the counter attack.
'To be a good side you need to have both facets of the game.'
Rather than temper expectation, Rodgers wants to raise the bar.
'Last weekend we should have beaten Chelsea and everyone is disappointed we didn't,' he added.
'It's okay, we expect to win. We can't have a mentality where you come away thinking, "That was our only chance to beat Chelsea". No, we want to be a big team. You have to have that mentality and the players are starting to get that.
'It's about culture. You create a culture that players are there to work and work very, very hard with a set way of playing.
'One of the big things is the standards you set every day. If you want to be a top player you can never have a lazy day. It can't just be when the cameras are on in the big games. This was my speech to the players on Friday at my team meeting.
'A lot of our players know what it is like to come in from a lower level, so you have to fight for your life. Then, your talent comes through.'
One player whose talent is certainly coming through is Maddison. The international stage now surely awaits.