Despite the fact that he was trophies for Manchester United on Hooleden on an annual basis, Michael Carrick never really settled as a fixture with England.
He became the heartbeat of the midfield of United under Sir Alex Ferguson and won five Premier League titles and the Champions League.
Bizarrely, however, a succession of national team managers – Sven -Goran Eriksson, Steve McClaren, Fabio Capello and Roy Hodgson – have overlooked him.
He won only 34 caps and only played one game in a big tournament – at the World Cup 2006 – at a time when he still had to reach his peak.
It was a meager return for a player who was generally seen as one of the most gifted and elegant midfielders of his generation.
All the more considering that players who did not have his talent or trophy – someone like a Gareth Barry, for example – won more than 50 caps.
In later years, Carrick admitted frankly that he reached a point where he did not like to leave with England, as far as he eventually asked not to be chosen in squadrons.
He became a lost talent. At club level he was able to mix with people like Xavi, Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Andrea Pirlo in the Champions League.
But with England, the playmaker would be parked on the couch in an all-winning United team in favor of plodders such as Barry.
This brings us all to Lewis Ferguson. What are the chances that he could continue to end his Scotland career with, for example, only 30 caps?
What are the chances that he could become Michael Carrick's version of Scotland; A player who excels at club level, but is routinely overlooked for his national team?
Ferguson is now 25 years old. He has just had Bologna captain of Coppa Italia Glory, with the victory over AC Milan in last week's final that secures the first trophy of the club in 51 years.
He played in the Champions League this season and was named the best midfielder in the Serie A last year, before he suffered a serious knee injury that ruled him from Euro 2024.
Not that at least he would have played a lot. Not if Steve Clarke's previous stubbornness was something to pass by.
Speaking in March 2024, prior to two friendly matches against the Netherlands and Noord -Ireland, Clarke was asked about the form of Ferguson with Bologna and his possible involvement in Scotland.
“It tells you the power we have in the team that Lewis is still not a normal starter,” said the Scotland manager.
That was nonsense. To talk about strength in depth when Kenny McLean was regularly picked for Ferguson, was just Piffle Van Clarke.
McLean has spent the past three seasons playing for Norwich City in the English championship at a time when Ferguson has torn it in the Serie A.
Ferguson has elevated itself to one of the most coveted midfielders in Europe, someone who wears a valuation of around £ 25 million in the summer transfer window.
Blockbuster offers are expected. Clubs such as Bologna tend not to hold on to their best players for long as soon as Inter Milan, Juventus and Napoli start to sniff.
And yet, in a Scotland sweater, Ferguson is criminal. He has won 14 caps so far, the vast majority of which have come from the bank.
The fact that Ferguson has only started three games before his country so far, is badly reflected on Clarke.
That is why these upcoming matches against Iceland and Liechtenstein are so important for the Scotland manager.
A friendly double header at the end of the season against two Lesser Nations may not put the pulse races, but it is far from a meaningless exercise.
Being able to resolve the Ferguson -and to crack the conundrum in midfield, is the key to the prospects of Scotland about the qualification of the World Cup.
It has now reached the point at which Ferguson's talent can no longer be ignored. He is too good to warm up Scotland's bank.
Clarke is blessed with options in the central midfield; John McGinn, Billy Gilmour, Scott McTominay, Ryan Christie.
McTominay and Gilmour were able to win Serie A with Napoli on Friday evening. Gilmour is the best passer of Scotland's ball remotely and the technically skilled midfielder we have produced in years.
McGinn is a mainstay for an Aston Villa side that has reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League this season and has been a talisman for Scotland over the years.
Christie has been a revelation for Bournemouth this season in the Premier League, plays in a deeper role and should return before the start of the following season after a surgery.
Throw Ferguson's name in the mix and it is clear that Clarke has the start of a great midfield at his disposal, with the young Lennon Miller also a player of considerable promise.
In September, Scotland starts their bid to qualify for the World Cup with back-to-back road races against Denmark and Belarus. In October they will have two home games against Greece and Wit -Russia, before they end the campaign with return games against the Danes and the Greeks in November.
It is a short eruption of six games in the room of two months, whereby the winner of the section automatically qualifies and offers second place to a play-off place.
Given the way things fell apart in such a terrible way for Clarke and his players against Greece in Hampden in their last outing in March, these upcoming games are important.
Not only have the Scots have to prove that they have to bounce back from those Nations League play-off, the manager must demonstrate a clear route map to the US and the next world cup. Ferguson must be part of that.
This is the kind of problem that has not affected too many Scotland managers in the last 20 years. In general, all our good players played more often than not. Top players parked on the couch were not really an option.
That is the depth of talent that is now available for Clarke, especially in the central midfield, this selectionilemma is one that he must solve.
Ferguson cannot stay behind with his thumbs. It is necessary that he gets the chance to impress from the start in these friendly competitions.
The prospect that he will be Michael Carrick's version of Scotland, while players like Kenny McLean take on the role of Gareth Barry, is simply too painful to consider longer.
It's a tree or bust for Angeball in Bilbao
Ange Postecoglou becomes a club legend when he leads Spurs to the victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final.
Someone who, according to reports in England, can still be illuminated from his duties, even if his team triumph.
That would be a hard fate for a man at the end of winning the first major trophy of the club in 17 years.
Regardless of Wednesday in Bilbao, it would be foolish to write to him as a manager.
Of course there will be certain things that he will think about and feel that he could have been treated differently.
As if you are so brash as he says he always wins a trophy in his second season.
That is a comment that has followed him for a large part of the campaign.
Falls with fans and journalists … blame VAR and a terrible series of injuries. Postecoglou has clearly tried to set up a siege mentality, as proves again on Tuesday when he told reporters that he is not a 'clown'.
In a recent spit with journalists, he started to critics he felt as 'Mr Hindsight' and tried to be smart after the event. But that is our job. We look, we observe, and we report about what we see. Journalists are generally not concerned with clairvoyance.
No one in the media has ever tried to predict Tottenham's or Postecoglou's death, or wish them an accident, so his comments have sometimes been wide of the goal.
The Australian can think about this in the summer. Maybe on a beach somewhere, maybe still at Spurs, or maybe in a new club.
However, one thing is certain. Even if he is fired, you can bet that your bottom dollars would take many other clubs in England a chance. He has proven that he is able to produce an exciting brand of attacking football when his players are fit.
He will also like it on Wednesday evening. In three games against United this season, Spurs won all three with a total score of 8-3.
Tottenham does not define a manager. They certainly did not define Antonio Conte, who was chased the door about his 'negative' playing style and is now about to win Serie A with Napoli.
Nuno EspÃrito Santo was another boss who was thrown away by Spurs, only to enjoy an excellent season with Nottingham Forest and to take them to Europe.
It can be a tree or bust for Angeball in Bilbao. But he is certainly a large number of lovers when he gets the tap on the shoulder.