Massimo Luongo’s international retirement is remarkable in the sense that it was actually necessary at all.
Eighteen months ago the Australian was training alone in a Sheffield park, self-consciously avoiding the gaze of dog walkers, school-runners and curious kids.

Middlesbrough finally came to the rescue but Chris Wilder was sacked within days of Luongo’s arrival and successor Michael Carrick had about as much interest in the midfielder as Cristiano Ronaldo shows in tracking back.

By the time this year dawned, Luongo hadn’t kicked a ball in anger for almost eight months and hadn’t repre...