Manchester United refused to let Jesse Lingard leave the club in January because they were looking to make an example of the midfielder.
Newcastle United and West Ham United were both keen on signing Lingard on loan on deadline day.
Eventually United made it clear that the player would not be leaving Old Trafford despite him being available on a free in the summer and having barely featured this term following last season's successful loan spell at the Hammers.
He rejected the offer of a new contract and will run down his deal and leave Manchester in the summer.
Ralf Rangnick was prepared to let Lingard leave the club in January but United chiefs vetoed the move.
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That decision was done as a warning to other players who might be thinking of running down their own deals, reports the Daily Mail.
United are seemingly prepared to freeze out players who opt to run down their contracts.
Lingard, an academy graduate at Old Trafford, will leave for nothing in the summer despite the club hoping to get around £30m for him last summer.
Since then though the 29-year-old has failed to start a single league game.
United's top brass also want to avoid selling players in cut-price deals when their contracts are close to ending.
12 of United's current squad will be out of contract come the summer of 2024.
Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw and Cristiano Ronaldo are among those whose contracts will be up by that point, although the club do have 12-month extension clauses in several cases.
Paul Pogba is set to leave Old Trafford this summer following years of his future being played out in the public eye.
The Frenchman cost the club £89m back in 2016 and remains their record-signing.
His departure on a free, should it happen, would be a damning reflection on the Old Trafford chiefs.
Ralf Rangnick though has said that Pogba's contract situation will not stop him playing the World Cup winner once he is again fit and available.
He said: "Even if it's for only showing up for a new contract elsewhere, I mean, he will be highly motivated to do that. Why should I then not play him?"
He also highlighted: "By the way, my contract as a manager is also expiring in the summer.
"So we have the same goal, we have the same ambition to be as successful as we can possibly be in the next three or four months.
"For me, it's not a question if a player has an expiring contract. The question is how much does he still want to be a part of this group? How much does he still feel emotionally and physically on board?"
