Raheem Sterling apologised to his England teammates and manager Gareth Southgate after arriving for international duty 12 hours late.
A flight mix-up meant Sterling -- already the target of criticism in sections of the British press -- returned from his holiday in Jamaica and despite calling ahead to warn of the situation, still took it upon himself to express his regrets to the England squad.
"He was given off until the Tuesday night and he arrived on the Wednesday morning, so he was late," Southgate said. "There was a mix-up on flights and a connection. In fairness to him he wanted to apologise to the group, explained his commitment to the team, and it's done. That was accepted and everybody has moved on."
Southgate also said any discipline would be handled internally, and the Manchester City forward is still expected to start Saturday's friendly against Nigeria at Wembley.
Asked if Sterling had let him down, Southgate said: "No, because it was not an intentional situation. If someone doesn't want to be here and wants to be late, that's different. But I know how he was about it, so it was clear to me, his commitment and his focus.
"Managers want an easy life, really. They don't want to have [these] conversations and we know the world we live in. Nothing stays private. That's part of the long discussion we had when we went for a walk.
"I don't know why there are so many stories about him compared to others, but he is the type of player who can make a difference. There is a bigger expectation, a bigger focus on him.
"If you want to be a top player, you have to be able to handle that."
Southgate also spoke in support of Sterling, whose tattoo of an assault rifle on his leg has dominated the tabloids for the past week.
"He understands how some people have perceived the tattoo but in my view a tattoo is like any work of art. It's a very individual meaning, the intent is all with the individual and the person," Southgate said. "What has been clear by his own statement and his own experiences is that he is not someone who supports or wants to promote guns in the way that was perceived at first.
"I think the personal story of a lot of our players is quite remarkable. People often highlight the issues, the faults, of all of the squad, but for so many of them it's incredible they've got to the point they have.
"They are a great example to young kids of what you can achieve with your life if you are dedicated, if you are focused. Raheem embodies that. Nothing is given to you in life, you have to fight all the way."
Southgate also said there are still many World Cup places to play for when his players take the pitch against Nigeria or versus Costa Rica at Elland Road five days later.
"There is a real competition for places in every position," said Southgate. "We need to focus on the 23, not just the starting XI. You know where people are at physically, and people stay in if they're playing well. If players are in on reputation or name, that breeds a bit of discord.
"When you have a clear rationale, a clear understanding of how you want to play, that makes the decisions easier."
He added: "I don't think these are trial matches in that a bad performance rules someone out but there are opportunities for people to really stake a claim in areas of the pitch where there is huge competition for places."
The manager also said the friendlies should make it clear who the No. 1 goalkeeper will be, with Jordan Pickford and Jack Butland fighting for the role ahead of the uncapped Nick Pope.
"That will become apparent over the next five days," Southgate said. "They are inexperienced in terms of senior international games but Pickford and Butland have the perfect path in terms of junior international tournaments and a lot of Premier League football under their belts."