Didn't he miss the last game because his significant other was giving birth? If so, I would imagine some paternity leave (perhaps conveniently timed to get him out of the team while protecting him and Gus's decision to sign him, but a genuine excuse, too)
No, don't you see, we're only obsessed if we congratulate/praise him when he is successful with them (good results against top teams, cup runs, etc) and it's those times we need to move on and stop bringing him up. When he is not getting good results and is struggling, well, then it's fine and...