Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs says he can already feel the benefit of quitting international football.
Giggs decided to concentrate solely on United at the end of last season in a bid to prolong his career.
The 33-year-old figured the rest he could get during demanding international weeks would make him a more effective force with the Old Trafford outfit.
He will have an early indication of how much it has helped tomorrow when, in the continued absence of Gary Neville, he will skipper United in the Barclays Premier League encounter with Everton at Goodison Park.
Giggs admitted it had been odd to remain at United's Carrington training base as most of his team-mates were jetting off around the world.
But already he feels far fresher than he would have done had he undertaken the trip into central Europe.
'It was strange for me this week because this is the first double-header I have missed since I retired,' he said.
'If I had still be playing, I would have come back to Slovakia on Wednesday night and landed in Cardiff in the early hours of Thursday morning.
'Instead, I have had 10 days training and I do feel fresher, which was the plan.'
