Jordan Henderson's eyes stay fixed ahead when reminded that he's about to enter one of the most draining periods of his career - but there is a glint in them.
For the Liverpool captain, his return to action after a month out with a hamstring injury could not have come at a better time, with the Reds about to face a gruelling run of 13 games in 42 days before Henderson and several more of their stars head off to the World Cup.
And there is ground to make up.
After taking the slightly unusual step of allowing their skipper to join up with the England squad over the past fortnight, Liverpool and boss Jurgen Klopp will have watched on as Henderson appeared as a late substitute for the 3-3 draw with Germany at Wembley.
As far as the midfielder concerned, that means he's nearly ready.
"It was nice to be back after a few weeks out," said Henderson, speaking at a McDonald's Fun Football session in Liverpool. "I had a good week's training and then it was great to come on and get a few minutes against Germany.
"I'll get some more training in this week and then I'll be ready for the weekend.
"There are so many games to get in before the World Cup, so we're going to need everybody fighting and fit for as long as possible as we try and get through this period. We need to try and get back to the results and the performances we're capable of."
There certainly haven't been enough of those of late. As Liverpool return to Premier League action on Saturday when Brighton come to Anfield, the Reds are sitting down in the unusual position of eighth in the table.
Harsh words have been exchanged behind the scenes, with Trent Alexander-Arnold recently admitting that Klopp had taken his players back to the drawing board after vowing to "reinvent" them following the shambolic 4-1 Champions League loss at Napoli.
Although he missed that match through injury, Henderson saw several pundits put the boot in on his teammates after that result, but he says the squad have come together to handle the criticism that has come their way.
"There are different situations for different players, but we're quite a close group and we'll all talk anyway, and we're all in it together really," said the Reds captain.
"Of course the criticism isn't nice but that's part and parcel of the game, we know that, and we just need to keep our heads, stay focused and do the things we know we can.
"If we continue to work hard on the training pitch we know that it'll come right as long as we're consistent."
That work started after the Napoli defeat, and resulted in a much improved performance in beating Ajax in the Champions League. With Premier League matches against Wolves and Chelsea postponed, the next hurdle comes this weekend.
"We spoke as a group after the Napoli game where we obviously didn't play well," continued Henderson.
"The manager spoke to us and we went over a few things, and then we reacted in the right way from that point, both in training and in the Ajax game.
"So now we're looking to continue on that path and get back to the consistency levels that we know we're capable of.
"There's still a long way to go, and we're getting a few players back from injury and that can give us a real boost.
"Hopefully this is where we can kickstart our season and really get into the rhythm this weekend."
Brighton come to Merseyside under the stewardship of new boss Roberto De Zerbi, with the Italian replacing Graham Potter in the Seagulls hotseat, and Henderson believes the extra effort the visitors' players will put in to impress the new boss will make for a tough afternoon.
"This is a big game for us, definitely. It'll be tough as well, because Brighton are a very good side as they've shown over the course of the start of the season," he said. "It is important but it will be difficult, and we hope that the fans will be along with us on Saturday as I'm sure they will be.
"Graham Potter did an amazing job there, and they've got some great players, they're a really good team and difficult to play against as we've found out before in the past.
"They've now got a new manager which normally would give them a lot of energy. Players will be right at it I'm sure of that, so we need to make sure that we are as well.
"If we perform at the level that we can then hopefully it can be a good day for us."
One man on the Brighton side that Henderson knows well will be his good friend and former Liverpool and England teammate Adam Lallana, but with so much on the line he's not interested in doing his old pal any favours.
"I speak to Adam a lot, and yeah he's looking forward to coming back to Anfield and I'm sure he'll get a fantastic reception as always, as he has before," he added.
"I'm sure he'll be ready for the game, but for me it's a case of business as usual as soon as it kicks off and hopefully we can show that."
Prior to facing Brighton though, Henderson was helping to put on a free coaching session for kids in Liverpool through the McDonald's Fun Football programme.
"It's brilliant, it's really good session. It's been nice to come down and have a mess about with the kids and a kickabout," he said on Tuesday.
"I think it's really important to get kids out playing football when you think of the world we're living in today, the cost of living crisis, for McDonald's to put these Fun Football sessions on free of charge I think is really important. It's great for children to come and meet new people and new friends and enjoy playing football."
The father of three might also have another footballer in the family before too long, adding: "My eldest is starting to ask a few questions now so she might want to start soon!"
For now it is Henderson senior who is gracing the pitch though, and as far as Liverpool are concerned his return could not have come at a better time.
Jordan Henderson was speaking at a McDonald’s Fun Football session in Liverpool. This Autumn sessions will run in over 250 locations around the country. Fun Football is the UK’s biggest free grassroots football programme and is giving one million children access to free coaching over the next four years. Find a session near you at mcdonalds.co.uk/football
