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The ongoing international break features a bevvy of competitive games as part of the Euro 2020 playoffs, 2020-21 UEFA Nations League and the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, besides a few friendlies.
Although most players have been called up by their respective national teams, a few big-name ones have been conspicuous by their absence in the international scene this week despite being seemingly fit for selection.
While that may or may not have an immediate detrimental effect on their prospects of getting more game-time at their respective clubs, most of these players would have preferred to be involved in international duty.
On that note, let us have a look at ten such big-name players, in no particular order, who were overlooked by their national teams during the ongoing international match-ups.
#10 Danny Rose (England)
Left-back Danny Rose, who made his professional debut for Leeds United, has made over 200 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur amidst loan spells in a number of clubs, the last of which was Newcastle United.
Rose made his England debut in 2016 and has turned out 29 times for The Three Lions, having played in various age-group English teams and also the Great Britain team in the 2012 London Olympics.
The 30-year-old was a part of the senior England team at Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup but hasn't appeared for the national team since a pair of Euro 2020 qualifiers late last year.
#9 Gedson Fernandes (Portugal)
Gedson Fernandes arrived at Tottenham Hotspur from Portuguese side Benfica but remains a fringe player for the English club as evident by his modest tally of just 13 appearances in all competitions since his arrival in England in January 2019.
The 21-year-old midfielder, who can also play as a winger, has appeared in various age-group teams for Portugal but has only made two appearances for the senior side.
Fernandes hasn't played for the A. Selecao since providing an assist in the Euro 2016 champions' 3-1 win against Scotland in a friendly in October 2018.
#8 Marcos Rojo (Argentina)
Embattled Argentine defender Marcos Rojo, who is currently on loan at Estudiantes, continues to be overlooked by his national team.
The 30-year-old player, who featured at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and a couple of friendlies last year, hasn't been involved in Argentina's ongoing qualifying campaign for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Rojo has also fallen out of favour at Manchester United after joining the English giants after the 2014 World Cup. The versatile player, who can play as a left-back, centre-back and winger, has been beset by injuries and is not in the plans of current United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
#7 Phil Jones (England)
Phil Jones is one of the last-remaining Manchester United players from the Sir Alex Ferguson era.
However, the versatile centre-back, who can also slot in at right-back and defensive midfield, isn't a regular fixture at the club as a combination of poor form and injuries haven't helped his cause.
Jones hasn't played for England since a 0-2 defeat to Belgium in the third-place playoff game at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Despite his stop-start appearances, Jones signed a new four-year contract with the club in 2019, and early this year, he scored his first goal in club football in nearly six years.
#6 Sergio Romero (Argentina)
Despite the faltering form of Manchester United number one David de Gea in recent times, Sergio Romero has often been limited to making Cup appearances.
With the arrival of Dean Henderson this campaign, Romero seems to have fallen further down the pecking order at his club and his appearances for the English giants may get more sporadic.
The goalkeeper, who was handed his international debut by Diego Maradona during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, has made 96 appearances for Argentina.
Romero featured prominently during Argentina's successful qualification campaign for the 2018 World Cup but the player missed the tournament itself due to an injury. The 33-year-old appeared in two friendlies against Iraq and Brazil later that year but has not been considered for international selection since then.
Despite his infrequent club appearances, Romero remains a reliable option, which makes his disappearance from the Argentina international scene rather baffling.
#5 Danny Drinkwater (England)
Danny Drinkwater burst into the limelight after starring in Leicester City's improbable triumph in the 2015-16 Premier League.
The midfielder made his international debut for England that year and featured in three friendly games but was overlooked for Euro 2016, a decision that surprised many.
Drinkwater has not been in the England reckoning since then except for a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying win in Slovakia, a game in which he was not required to come off the bench.
However, the player has largely himself to blame for his international exile. After refusing to train with England B in 2018, Drinkwater has expectedly fallen out of favour with Gareth Southgate.
The player signed for Chelsea in 2017 but has seen his club career nosedive spectacularly since the highs at Leicester City. Drinkwater has often found himself in the news for all the wrong reasons in recent times; he head-butted teammate Jota during a training session while on loan at Aston Villa earlier that year.
#4 Victor Moses (Nigeria)
Victor Moses joined Chelsea in 2012 but has struggled to become a fixture at the London club. The winger has had loan spells at five different clubs during this period
In 37 appearances for The Super Eagles, the 29-year-old has scored 12 goals and made seven assists. But determined to win back his place at Chelsea, Moses announced his surprise international retirement following Nigeria's group-stage exit at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
That has seen Moses, winner of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria, not considered for international selection since then. However, with the player still in his prime, he could always reconsider his decision and go back to playing for Nigeria as he looks to get his club career back on track.
#3 William Saliba (France)
New Arsenal signing William Saliba hasn't played a competitive club football game for more than six months as the 2019-20 Ligue 1 season got suspended owing to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The talented teenager made his name at St. Etienne before Arsenal came calling for his services.
Saliba, who has often been compared with Raphael Varane, is yet to make his senior international debut for France but has represented the reigning FIFA World Cup champions in various age-group competitions.
If the defender gets back to playing regular club football, it may only be a matter of time before the player features for Les Bleus.
#2 Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Greece)
Former Borussia Dortmund stalwart Sokratis Papastathopoulos, more commonly known simply by his first name, arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 2018 after seven successful seasons in Germany.
The 32-year-old, who was a defensive colossus at Dortmund, remains a key player for the Gunners but has not played for Greece since the Helenic nation's failed Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.
His 90 international appearances for the Euro 2004 winners include major tournaments like Euro 2012 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
#1 Mesut Ozil (Germany)
Once considered one of the best midfielders of his generation, Mesut Ozil has seen his stock spectacularly nosedive in recent times.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup winner with Germany has not featured for Die Mannschaft in a competitive game since an embarassing group-stage exit at the 2018 edition of the competition.
Ozil was apparently made one of the high-profile scapegoats for Germany's lacklustre performance at the tournament, but the player hardly helped his cause by announcing his international retirement and made allegations of racism targetted at his Turkish roots.
In 92 appearances for Germany, Ozil has scored 23 goals and provided 40 assists but doesn't seem likely to add to that tally. The player has been shunted out of the Arsenal first-team under Mikel Arteta owing to issues pertaining to his professionalism.
Ozil also seems to have played his last for the London club as he was not named in Arsenal's squad for the 2020-21 Europa League. In fact, the German has not played for the Gunners since March and hasn't been in the club's matchday squad since June.
Ozil recently made news for offering to pay the salary of the club's mascot. But the move was largely seen as a publicity stunt by many from a player who is all too happy to earn the big bucks and not make an effort to get back into the first-team.
