Liverpool's Raheem Sterling appears to be in a stand-off with his club after missing training for a second successive day. Here, are some other famous deadlocks and a judgement is made on whether the player or the club came out on top.
CARLOS TEVEZ (Manchester City)
Carlos Tevez's bank balance - if not his golf swing - was dented when he refused to play as a substitute for Manchester City in a Champions League tie at Bayern Munich in September 2011 and a subsequent stand-off prevailed. Tevez was reported to have lost over £1million in wages as well as any rights to a £6million loyalty bonus and his wish for a transfer was not granted until the summer of 2013.
WINNER: Manchester City - had the financial muscle to take a tough line.
LUIS SUAREZ (Liverpool)
Two summers ago Luis Suarez gave interviews complaining about his treatment from Liverpool in light of a £40million plus £1 bid from Arsenal. The Uruguayan was made to train on his own before being reintegrated into the squad and signing a new improved contract. Suarez's goals almost took Liverpool to a first domestic league title for 24 years before he was sold to Barcelona for £75million.
WINNER: Liverpool - got a fantastic year from the Uruguayan.
WILLIAM GALLAS (Chelsea)
The defender's five-year stay at Chelsea ended in acrimony in 2006 when the France international allegedly went on strike after he refused to sign a new contract. Gallas' Chelsea contract was due to expire in 2007 and he expressed a wish to play in Italy's Serie A. But he ended up being transferred to Arsenal as part of the deal that saw Ashley Cole going the other way and Chelsea later issued a statement that Gallas threatened to deliberately score own goals if he was not allowed to leave the club. Gallas denied the accusation.
WINNER: Chelsea - did not miss the surly defender.
DWIGHT YORKE (Aston Villa)
Manchester United's 'Treble' year might never have happened had John Gregory had a gun in the manager's office at Aston Villa. Dwight Yorke (pictured) scored 29 goals in United's glorious 1998-99 campaign but his move from Villa only happened after what appeared to be a stand-off. Villa boss Gregory apparently retorted that had he a gun in his office, he would have shot Yorke.
WINNER: Dwight Yorke - started racking up the medals.
PIERRE VAN HOOIJDONK (Notts Forest)
Van Hooijdonk was the king of the strikers - quite literally. After engineering a move to Forest from Celtic in 1997 in a doomed bid to keep the East Midlands outfit in the Premier League, he was at his bad-boy best again the following year. Van Hooijdonk's 34 goals took Forest back into the top tier but when they failed to strengthen the squad the Dutchman went AWOL. He eventually returned but his team-mates famously refused to celebrate his goals thereafter and at the end of the season he was sold to Vitesse and Forest finished bottom.
WINNER: Pierre van Hooijdonk - fared better than Forest.
JEAN MARC-BOSMAN (FC Liege)
The little-known Belgian player enshrined his name in football folklore forever when his legal challenge to traditional transfer rules led to the Bosman ruling in 1995. Bosman was so disgusted by his club Liege preventing him from joining Dunkirk at the end of his contract (using Belgium's player-evaluation system they had asked for £500,000 and the French club pulled out of the deal) that he took the matter to court. Cue a landmark victory which allowed players to move clubs more freely - and the cash registers have rung for top footballers ever since. WINNER: Professional footballers - cashed in on ruling.