Yunus Musah has revealed he missed the United States' Gold Cup campaign due to fatigue and insisted the rest will ensure he can thrive for AC Milan and at next summer's World Cup.
Musah, Christian Pulisic and Antonee Robinson all sat out the tournament earlier this summer as Mauricio Pochettino's side reached the final, losing to 2-1 to Mexico in Texas.
USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino said at the time that Musah "communicated to us a personal reason, so he needed to withdraw from involvement" after making 48 appearances in all competitions last season.
Speaking exclusively to ESPN's The Football Reporters podcast, Musah said: "Honestly, I was gutted that I couldn't go to the Gold Cup. The coaches were all disappointed that I didn't go but ultimately I needed to make that decision for myself because I needed to switch off after a tough season.
"I needed that time off. Ultimately it was to take that period off then so that I could be in good shape to be able to carry on now the whole season and be able to give my best for club and the national team.
"It was a very tough decision because people could easily say: 'everyone else is playing, why aren't you?' But no one else is in my body, no one else is in my head," he continued. "Everyone that knows me knows I am honest and a hardworking guy but when times are like how they were and I couldn't carry on playing for that summer, I had to take that decision for myself.
"No-one else knows how I feel and I hope that people understood my decision and it was about taking care of myself and being able to come back ultimately and be able to give my best for the rest of the season."
Musah's club future has been uncertain since Massimiliano Allegri replaced Sérgio Conceição as head coach in May.
Napoli, Nottingham Forest and Atalanta have all been linked with the 22-year-old after sporting director Igli Tare suggested Musah did not fit in with Allegri's style of play.
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Musah came off the bench in Milan's Coppa Italia win over Bari earlier this month but was an unused substitute as the Rossoneri were beaten 2-1 by Cremonese in their Serie A opener last Saturday.
Reports in Italy suggest Allegri is now more willing to involve Musah, who joined the club from Valencia in 2023 for €20 million, and he said: "I am happy at Milan.
"It is a great club. I'd love to win some great things here. It felt really nice winning the Super Cup last season so I'd love to win more things. This is what we're expected to do here. I am just happy here and I am looking to work hard and be a main player in the team."