There have been times in the past 12 months when Jack Rodwell has seemed subconsciously to forget that football is passing him by.
Asked in one interview about his desperate lack of games, he replied by saying he wanted to be back at his best to impress new England manager Gareth Southgate.
Sunderland staff flinched, knowing that he would be pilloried by fans for having such pretensions having delivered so little for his £70,000-a-week wages. Some discreet representations were made and the comment was never made public.
It comes to something when a former England player is so stigmatised that he dare not discuss the national team, though judging by the onslaught since Sunderland confirmed they want to rip up his contract, it seems risky to speak publicly at all.