When Harry Kane leads England out in Budapest tonight the players chosen to represent the Three Lions will be entering the finishing stretch to another ludicrously long season.
The Nations League fixture is the first of four games for England in June, finishing with the return against the same opposition on June 14, when those internationals can finally let their shoulders slump and head away on holiday.
That date will be exactly 10 months since the 2021/22 Premier League season started and just seven-and-a-half weeks away from the first competitive ball of next season being kicked.
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Premier League players involved in these internationals will get a late return to pre-season, but given the new campaign begins on August 6 most of them will be back by mid-July. The schedule is relentless and it will be worse next season thanks to the unwanted World Cup in November and December.
The domestic season will be on fast forward until that break and the six Champions League and Europa League group games will be played in six successive midweeks.
So for once, this might not be a bad international break to miss and while Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho will be disappointed to have fallen out of the squad entirely, this could be a valuable break to give them a headstart next season.
A year ago the two Manchester United forwards were playing their part in England's run to the final of the European Championship, but looking back their missed penalties in the final shootout with Italy were the start of an unravelling that has gone on for most of the season.
Rashford's stock has fallen so sharply he's struggling to make any kind of impact at Old Trafford at the moment, never mind with his country. Sancho has improved a little as the season has progressed without ever threatening to live up to his £73million price tag.
The wingers have both suffered from the lack of a clear coaching identity at United. Rashford's struggles owe a great deal to the absence of elite instruction at Carrington for the previous three-and-a-half years, while Sancho went from a highly-structured attack at Borussia Dortmund to a chaotic and freewheeling approach at his new club.
It feels like both have significant improvement in them next season and while recruitment this summer is going to make or break Erik ten Hag's first year, part of the attraction of the 52-year-old for United was his ability to get a tune out of players who are falling short of reaching their potential.
Ten Hag and football director John Murtough have both talked about the potential within the existing squad since the season ended and it's easy to see Rashford and Sancho as the kind of players they had in mind when making those comments.
While United are determined to strengthen in attack this summer, that is unlikely to mean a departure for Rashford at this stage. He has been considering his future but will get the chance to try and rediscover his best form - and his enjoyment of football - under Ten Hag.
With no international football this month, Rashford and Sancho can report to pre-season training on June 27 having had five weeks off. They will be fresh and should be reinvigorated by the possibility of playing under a new manager.
That early return gives them a chance to get to know Ten Hag's style of play and his tactical demands. By the time United jet out for their 16-day pre-season tour on July 8 the two England forwards should be up to speed and ready to make a real impact on that protracted trip to Thailand and Australia.
If they can enjoy a good pre-season and stay fit, Rashford and Sancho should be ready to hit the ground running on August 6, which is unlikely to be the case for players involved in international action this month.
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