And for England's captain to be hiding behind the cartoon ogre figure of his club manager all week is a dereliction of duty that does him few favours.
Injured or not, he should have stood his ground and presented himself at England's training camp on Wednesday.
Instead, he left his international coach Sven Goran Eriksson hanging out to dry – a figure of fun in the Old Trafford stands, shifting uncomfortably in his seat as players who were meant to be incapable of productive movement skipped around before his eyes.