Even before Gareth Southgate officially announced his England squad for the World Cup on Wednesday afternoon, several high-profile omissions had already been leaked in the press.
Jack Wilshere was among those to have missed the cut, sources told ESPN FC, despite playing his way back into international contention during the latter half of the season.
Alas, the Arsenal midfielder ruled himself out of the reckoning by making alternative plans by accepting an invite to join a group of lads who are gearing up for a summer holiday in Zante.
@JackWilshere oright lad i know you're not off world cup so fancy coming Zante with me and the lads let me know sound x
— Will Palacios (@ItsWillP) May 16, 2018
To which Wilshere, who recently became a father for the third time, replied:
🤣🤣 let me know the dates and I'm in https://t.co/6PgPvhg77X
— Jack Wilshere (@JackWilshere) May 16, 2018
Can i bring the baby aswell? https://t.co/fWLpEGZgB6
— Jack Wilshere (@JackWilshere) May 16, 2018
Any other player and we'd write off that response as a joke -- but this is Jack Wilshere we're talking about here.
We wouldn't be overly surprised to see photos of Jack the Lad basking in the Greek island sun with his new friends while the Three Lions are slogging away in Russia.