Given his attitude towards international football, it cannot be certain that Maurizio Sarri watched Callum Hudson-Odoi become the second-youngest player to start a competitive match for England.

Chelsea head coach Sarri earlier this season reasoned that he did not watch a single minute of last summer’s World Cup because “there isn’t anything to learn from the national teams.”

The Italian has proved himself to be particularly stubborn, but surely even he would concede that there is plenty to learn from Hudson-Odoi making an exciting first England start before starting for Chelsea in the Premier League.

Sarri would probably argue that playing against Montenegro, a team ranked 46th in the world, is more comparable to starting in the Europa League, which Hudson-Odoi has done four times for Chelsea, than facing the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City.

But nights like the one inside the hostile Gradski Stadion on Monday night are the kind that turn boys into men and England manager Gareth Southgate appears to have more faith in Hudson-Odoi than Sarri.