Gareth Southgate has announced his provisional England squad for Euro 2020, with Trent Alexander-Arnold handed a reprieve and a last-ditch chance to make the team for the tournament.
The enterprising Liverpool full-back was left out of the last England squad and it has been mooted that, despite his resurgent form at Anfield in recent weeks, he would still be absent for Southgate's Euros setup.
Instead, the Three Lions boss has opted for a squad of 30 for now while players compete in European finals for Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea. He will have to cut it down to 26 by June 1 and the odds are still against Alexander-Arnold being included.
Elsewhere, there is a gluttony of thrilling attacking options at Southgate's disposal as he plots a route to what would be England's first international triumph since the 1966 World Cup.
Mason Mount, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden would have perhaps at best been on the fringes of the England fold 12 months ago but they have benefitted after the Covid-19 pandemic forced a 12-month delay to the European Championship.
The trio will now all be vying for a starting berth under Southgate when the tournament for England begins on June 13 against Croatia at Wembley. Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho would have seemed nailed on starters last summer but now face intensifying competition to start that match next month.
Liverpool and Manchester United's captains Jordan Henderson and Harry Maguire make the squad but questions remain about the overall fitness of two of Southgate's key men.
Henderson was an unused substitute in Liverpool's 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at Anfield on Sunday and the signs there are more promising than with Maguire, who is expected to miss United's Europa League final against Villarreal on Wednesday.
He hasn't played since February, where he went off injured in the Merseyside derby against Everton with a groin injury, but is one of Southgate's more experienced players with 58 caps to his name.
Uncapped Brighton defender Ben White, meanwhile, is a surprise call-up but has impressed for the Seagulls this season and is comfortable in a three-man defence.
Everton's Ben Godfrey has also been included - Southgate is without a host of key defenders during the opening phase of his training camp due to involvement in this week’s European finals; opening the door to White and Godfrey.
Southgate will be hoping that Dean Henderson, Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and even potentially Maguire come through unscathed when in action for United against Villarreal on Wednesday in the Europa League final.
On Saturday night there is the all-English Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City. Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Mason Mount will be the English contingent in action for Chelsea that night, while John Stones, Kyle Walker, Foden and Sterling could all feature for City.
In total, it's up to 12 players who still have club games to complete before focus switches permanently onto the international scene, so there is plenty of scope for injuries to puncture Southgate's preparations.
England's preparations ramp up with two friendlies at Middlesbrough's Riverside stadium in early June as Southgate looks to get his side up to speed before the tournament begins properly.
They take on Austria on June 2 and four days later lock horns with Romania. The squad will meet up on Saturday and begin to prepare for those games.
Jordan Pickford is expected to retain his place as England's No 1 goalkeeper - he has been a trusted figure by Southgate in his England setup but his form has wavered since the 2018 World Cup, where England reached the semi-final.
Southgate's defensive setup will be intriguing. He has often preferred three at the back, deploying City's Walker as a right-sided centre back. But with Maguire's fitness at present up in the air and the overall omission of Joe Gomez, crocked with a knee injury, he has fewer key figures at his disposal.
John Stones will be central to Southgate's setup after a superb season with Manchester City that could get better still with Champions League glory. Luke Shaw, meanwhile, has had his finest season yet as left-back for United and looks set to start the tournament there for England.
The fascinating conundrum Southgate has moving forward is how, if at all, he can incorporate the flair of Grealish, Mount and Foden around fellow attackers who have served him so valiantly before in the likes of Rashford and Sterling.
A word too for Jude Bellingham, the 17-year-old wonderkid at Borussia Dortmund who is in the squad. He only has two caps to his name to date but is a gifted midfielder who has been an ever-present alongside the likes of Sancho and Erling Haaland at Dortmund this season. Like the players he is battling against to get into the England starting line-up, he has the ability to light up the tournament if he gets enough minutes.
The likes of Henderson and Declan Rice will offer insurance around those attacking talents but striking the right balance around those attacking midfielders is key to the entire team. Get it right, and Southgate will have a starting line-up that can back itself against anyone else in the competition.
Striker and captain Harry Kane is the first name on Southgate's team-sheet and Dominic Calvert-Lewin is a solid understudy after an impressive season at Everton with 21 goals for the Toffees in 2020-21 campaign.