Never before has a player been so determined to impress his boss at club level while playing for England.
However, the odds aren't currently stacked in Jermain Defoe's favour. Rewarded with games by Steve McClaren, maybe more out of sympathy for the mess that was the World Cup squad, although an impressive pre-season will also have come into the equation.
But Wayne Rooney (when not suspended), Michael Owen (when not injured), Andy Johnson and Darren Bent are all straight on the teamssheets of their respective clubs, while Defoe in contrast continues to play second fiddle at White Hart Lane much of the time. At Liverpool Peter Crouch is in a similar position to Defoe, but Crouch's England goalscoring record is far superior.
Defoe: 1 Premiership appearance +2 as sub (0 goals) in 2006/7
18 caps since March 2004 (3 goals)
Crouch: 1 Premiership appearance (1 goal) in 2006/7
13 caps since May 2005 (10 goals)
Source: Daniel Taylor in The Guardian