Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor believes a reconciliation between Carlos Tevez and Manchester City becomes "more impossible" by the day.
The club had requested the Argentina striker return to England on Monday but he opted to remain at home in South America.
And while there is still dialogue between the 27-year-old's representatives and City officials Taylor thinks the longer Tevez remains out of the country the worse the situation will get.
"It's another week and there are more problems really," he told Sky Sports News.
"The situation continues and the longer it goes with him being away the more impossible it becomes to reconcile the situation."
Tevez's presence had been requested back in Manchester to discuss last week's, apparently unauthorised, trip to Argentina to visit family.
Press Association Sport understands despite his failure to return to Tevez still wants a quick resolution to the issue.
Discussions took place between the player's representatives and Manchester City officials over the weekend about how things should move forward and those talks are expected to continue over the coming days.
And although there are claims disciplinary proceedings await him when Tevez does come back it is believed that is not the case.
City confirmed last week they had requested Tevez return on Monday so when there was a no-show at the club's Carrington training complex speculation began to grow about Tevez's whereabouts and intentions.
Some reports in South America suggested the striker had obtained a medical certificate stating he was unable to leave Argentina.
That has been dismissed by his representatives, as has the suggestion that had he returned to England he would have found City's lawyers waiting to instigate more disciplinary action against him.
City have declined to comment on latest the issue, which began to develop last Wednesday when reports emerged Tevez had returned to Argentina.
That was a day after it transpired that the striker would not be appealing against a club fine for misconduct after City had found Tevez guilty of refusing to play - one of five breaches of contract - during the Champions League defeat in Munich on September 27.
Tevez has not played for City since that game at the Allianz Arena, after which manager Roberto Mancini claimed the player was "finished" at the club.
He was suspended for two weeks while an investigation was conducted and was then asked to train alone, and later with the youth team, after returning.
He was initially fined four weeks' wages but that was halved following intervention by the PFA.
