Lee Carsley has admitted that his international future with the Republic of Ireland is as good as over.
The rambunctious midfielder has just finished a long season with Birmingham City, where he helped the Midlands club secure promotion to the Premier League.
Despite calls in certain quarters for the 35-year-old to be drafted back into Giovanni Trapattoni's squad, the player doesn't think that that will happen any time soon.
In fact, Carsley reckons his days of playing for Ireland have come to an end and he is not bitter about that at all as he thinks the players involved in the current set-up deserve to be there.
"It's fair to say my Ireland days are over - I've given up hope," Carsley is quoted as saying in the Irish Sunday Mirror.
"It's not a big deal, but I'm not sitting by the phone waiting for a call-up this summer.
"The lads are playing well, I'm 100 per cent behind what the new management team are doing in trying to qualify for the World Cup and they're well on the way to doing that.
"I keep in touch with the lads and there's a real optimism going around.
"I hope it continues as I want to support Ireland at the World Cup as much as anyone else."
Ireland play Nigeria in a friendly at the end of the month before travelling to Sofia to face Bulgaria in a World Cup qualifier.