It spoke a lot about the level of commitment in the Gareth Southgate era that Kalvin Phillips wanted to run it off.
Clearly in some pain - Phillips is the type to feign fitness rather than injury - he told the England manager he would be okay to limp back into the action after a violent, if accidental, early collision with Nico Schlotterbeck, the man whose name sounds as hard as nails.
But Phillips lasted another minute or so before he needed a physio’s shoulder to help from the field. It might not be too serious and this was not an injury which had its root causes in fatigue.
A hamstring injury kept him out of a large chunk of the club season and he started only 18 Premier League matches. And this looked like an out-and-out knock, the sort that can happen at any stage of any game at any time on football’s calendar. But maybe after hastening his comeback from that serious problem - in order to help Leeds United’s fight against the prospect of relegation - Phillips could have used a decent rest period.
In the same way nearly all of the players out on the Allianz Arena could have used a decent rest period. Later in the first half, Raheem Sterling seemed certain to succumb to a thigh issue but battled on. Again, such commitment is testament to how these players treat England duty under Southgate. But four competitive games at the end of hectic club campaigns, eating away at half the month of June and ahead of an early Premier League start, represents a demand too far.
These Nations League games ARE competitive. How can a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Germany in a magnificent Munich stadium not be? But whether or not it was the best long-term preparation for a World Cup in November and December is open to serious debate. Most Premier League clubs will be calling their players back at the end of this month or in very early July.
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After leaving Germany in the dead of the night, England now play Italy on Saturday and Hungary on June 14. It is faintly ridiculous. The squad might escape any serious individual injuries but the opportunity for recuperation in the summer is severely limited. Yes, it is the same for players of all nationalities, so the playing field is pretty level. But there is a reasonably strong argument to suggest the demands of the English club season are as high as they are anywhere.
Southgate now only has four more matches to help him prepare for his campaign in Qatar and would consider this type of experience vital to his work. But it is hard to say what he truly learned from this exercise, other than that his patience and trust in Harry Maguire is likely to be tested between now and November. As for the players, one more week in camp and then they get to the beach … and it will not be a day too soon .
