Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate has questioned the wisdom of this week's international games.
He said: "It will be a continuing and ongoing battle. When I was a player I loved it because I wanted to go away and play for my country.
"I would never stop any player from going and never put any player under pressure not to. But as a club manager you see the pitfalls of it. We've had that in the last few months with players reporting back injured.
"For me, it's a strange time of year for a friendly because if this game was in February before the qualifiers in March I could understand it.
"But in November, when there's no qualifier for four or five months, I think it's a bit of a futile exercise really.
"People with a lot more time on their hands than me will be able to look at what's the best route forward," he adds, contemplating an alternative international calendar.
"(The current system) does seem a bit strange. I remember when we had a friendly before the start of the season and, again, that was strange timing. But these decisions are taken at a very high level in FIFA and UEFA and we have to focus on what we can control and that's way beyond our control."
