England U21 coach Gareth Southgate has no problem with Liverpool midfielder Raheem Sterling not being part of his squad.
Nottingham Forest boss Stuart Pearce, Southgate's predecessor, feels Sterling should be facing Croatia in the U21 Euros playoff.
"Whilst as a coach you always want the best possible players available, sometimes I don't think it is the right or appropriate challenge for the individual player," the England Under-21s boss said.
"Raheem is one who I don't say is finished at this level but, clearly, having played in the World Cup, he's now made himself pretty much a first-choice for the senior team.
"What would we get back in terms of his feelings and his mood? He is a great professional, I have to say, so I am sure he would react to it in the right way because he did when he came back with us last year. His training was fantastic.
"But are you going to get exactly the same performance? He has got England seniors, he has got Liverpool with the league, he has got Liverpool with the Champions League.
"On the list of priorities, the 21s wouldn't necessarily be so high. For the group, you think you're bringing back the best players but it wouldn't necessarily guarantee you get a better performance whereas the boys with us this week, for them this is everything.
"So we win both ways, really. We give Raheem the experience of continuing with the seniors and we also get the experience for the group that remains with us."
For the big stories and the banter follow us on Twitter: @tribalfootball