The striker will miss Newcastle's trip to Old Trafford on Sunday, but not as first thought, because he is on a "tab run" to Benidorm.
'Fat Boy', as he is known to his wife, has been coughing up green stuff on a morning and is disrupting the family breakfast.
The Manchester United striker's health has received plenty of attention this summer, most recently as a consequence of the virus he contracted during a pre-season trip to Nigeria.
Asked whether he would encourage Rooney not to smoke because of the health risks, Capello told reporters on Monday: "I know a lot of players who smoke, it is part of life. When I was a player, a lot of my friends and team-mates smoked. It depends if he smokes five cigarettes or 20 cigarettes."
Ashim Mohamed, who owns the Spar at the bottom of the road at Old Trafford said yesterday: "He buys 200 fags a day from me. Or, at least I think it is him, it's someone with 'Rooney' on the back of his shirt."