Lee Johnson claims Callum O'Dowda "changed his mind" after Bristol City had verbally agreed a new contract with the winger but denies the Ireland international was frozen out of his first-team plans.
Uncertainty surrounding O'Dowda has been bubbling under since news of Leeds United's interest in January which sparked the club to take up a one-year option on the winger, who scored four goals with four assists in 31 Championship appearances this season.
However, the 24-year-old becomes 'It's a funny one' - What was said about Callum O'Dowda's contract and injury situation as winger looks to leave Bristol City after Leeds United link , leaving City with a decision to sell in this window or risk losing him for nothing in 12 months time with interest across the Championship and in the Premier League.
To further muddy the situation, O'Dowda has not played for City since March 12 after returning from international duty with a knee injury. Johnson had repeatedly said it was due to his slow recovery from the injury, both mental and physical.
However, a report in the Irish edition of The Sunday Times claimed O'Dowda is looking to leave City this summer and has been deliberately left out of Johnson's team after refusing to sign a new deal.
Speaking to BBC Radio Bristol, Johnson said: "He's never been frozen out. In terms of Callum, the injury he sustained, he needs to try it now, properly; we've all had injuries, I was a player myself.
"Sometimes young players they want to be 100 per cent fit. Particularly with knee ligaments, you don't get that. Sometimes you have to play with a little bit of pain as the ligaments heal.
"It was only really the last two games of the season that Callum was actually truly fit. He'd had four or five days training before that, I thought about putting him on the bench but then we won at Millwall and you go with the same group.
"The contract situation is completely different. The truth of the matter is, we all wanted and want to sign Callum on a new contract.
"We started the negotiations, the negotiations seemed positive, he then came back with what he wanted (through) his representatives. We agreed to that at which point Callum said he wasn't sure.
"At that point, something's happened, something's changed. And at that point my focus has to be on the ones that are keen on producing week-in, week-out on a Saturday.
"I'm not saying Callum would have played with that on his mind but we've seen before at this football club, if that happens and you agree on their terms, and then they don't want to sign, then obviously something's changed.
"And that was the thought process that I had to go over in my mind but it didn't matter anyway because he was injured most of that time.
"He changed his mind, he simply changed his mind."
Leeds United could have free run on League Two star despite Bristol City's interest
Unless O'Dowda performs another u-turn and does commit his future to the Robins beyond 2020, his time at Bristol City looks to be coming to an end having arrived from Oxford United in 2016 and maturing into one of the most exciting wingers in the second tier.
Johnson also hinted that even if he does sign a new contract that may not be enough to keep him at BS3 due to the level of the clubs interested in signing him.
"The door is always open. First and foremost, I really like Callum as a kid," Johnson added. "There are no personal issues, no freezing out, I've got nothing but respect for him.
"He's a good student, good player, he's an Ireland international and he's a type we want to build around but at the same time, I'm a custodian of the job and I have to do the right thing by the team.
"If that means that we move Callum on, and he gets his dream move, then so be it. We'll reinvest and go again.
"He's got a contract so the options are: sell now, Callum sees his contract out and goes on a free or Callum signs a new deal, but it won't stop him anyway from going to the Premier League because Bristol City don't do that.
"Steve Lansdown's mindset is we can't stand in people's way. Yes we have our right to negotiate but whether it's an academy player or somebody we've signed, it's very difficult to stand in somebody's way when the opportunities are so big now.
"There's open dialogue between me and Callum. I haven't got a problem. The difference is, it's a football-based relationship. I'm not going to get him into an office and intimidate him into signing a contract, my job is to make Callum O'Dowda a better footballer.
"It doesn't mean I dislike Callum. I have to make decisions based on what is best for that football team to win that individual game, and I'll take many individual facets of what goes on in the world of football and life."
