Jonathan Davies has told Gavin Henson he should honour his Ospreys contract after it emerged that the Wales centre had tried to leave the Liberty Stadium.

BBC Sport understands the 28-year-old has made attempts get out of his deal with the Magners League champions.

But the Ospreys insist Henson, who has been on unpaid indefinite leave for 12 months, has verbally committed himself to them despite a link with Wasps.

And BBC pundit Davies said: "He should honour his contract and come back."

The Welsh region are determined to hold him to the nine months left on his deal, having been without him for the past 18 months since suffered an injury.

Henson has not played rugby since injuring his ankle in an EDF Energy Cup clash with Gloucester in March 2009 which meant he missed that summer's British and Irish Lions tour to world champions South Africa.

The double Grand Slam winner then took indefinite unpaid leave from the Ospreys in August 2009.

He is about to appear in BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing TV programme but insisted on Thursday he would prefer to be back on the rugby field.

And in what was an ambiguous interview, he added: "It's all up in the air. It's all in solicitors' hands."

BBC Sport Wales' Scrum V show has been told of the increasingly fractious relationship between the Ospreys and Henson.

I didn't want to do this, I wanted to be back playing rugby but I have to do this Wales centre Gavin Henson

It is understood there was regular informal contact between Henson and the Ospreys board for the first nine months of his sabbatical but that contact then diminished.

Talks have recently taken place between the player's agent and the region but it looks increasingly likely that if Henson does return to rugby it will be away from the Ospreys and outside Wales, although the Ospreys would expect a transfer fee were another club to purchase the player.

But Ospreys chief executive Mike Cuddy said in a statement: "Our understanding had always been that he would return to play rugby for the Ospreys.

"And he had always indicated that he had no desire to play for any other club."

And former Wales fly-half Davies told BBC Wales Scrum V show: "We're talking more about him when he is not playing as when he was playing we didn't talk about him because he was injured a lot of the time.

"I read he was on about coming back in July to play for the Ospreys. Well they plan their squads, so you just can't walk away from a contract.

"What would have happened if when he was injured, they go to him and say 'look sorry Gavin, you're injured we're pulling the contract?"

"There is loyalty on both sides and I think the Ospreys have done everything right.

"He says he doesn't really want to do Strictly Come Dancing but he has to do it to pay the bills."

Sources close to him say Henson, who separated from his ex-fiancée, entertainment multi-millionaire Charlotte Church, several months ago, has taken on the Strictly role simply to earn money.

But Davies insisted: "A lot of people go through things like that, it is not just Gavin Henson.

606: DEBATE If he isn't going to play for Ospreys again, come out and say so. In short lets us all know where we stand so we him and the region can move on OSPREYJB1973

"So I think he has to decide what he is going to do and knuckle down and for everyone's sake move on.

"Let's draw a line under it as everyone is fed up with it."

The Ospreys say their player recruitment drive this summer - as they bid to retain the Celtic crown - was done with Henson's imminent return in mind.

"As an employer we have been extremely respectful of the fact that he has had personal issues that have needed resolving," continued Cuddy.

"And have been patient in leaving the door open for him at all times to return to playing rugby when he felt it was appropriate.

"We have also been understanding of his wish to carry out a wide range of media activities, including his current commitment to Strictly Come Dancing.

"As a senior member of the squad he has always received our full support, on and off the pitch, particularly in recent seasons when he suffered a number of serious injuries that have prevented him from playing rugby for long periods of time.

"We have built our squad in the belief that he would be returning and both Gavin and his agent, Mr Ginvert, confirmed this as recently as the end of July 2010, information I then passed on to our coaching staff.

"As such, we have had to make some difficult decisions about player recruitment on that basis."

Henson has been linked with London Wasps and the English Premiership side released a brief statement saying they had not signed Henson, although it stopped short of denying whether negotiations have taken place.

The Aviva Premiership side are coached by Wales assistant Shaun Edwards, who already has Wales back-rower Andy Powell on his books.

"I've had a tough couple of months in my personal life and career-wise with my rugby team," Henson told the BBC.

"It is all up in the air and in solicitors' hands, so it is a pity.

"I didn't want to do this, I wanted to be back playing rugby but I have to do this."

Henson, who played a key role in Wales' Grand Slam wins in 2005 and 2008, and was on the British and Irish Lions tour of 2005, has continued to make the headlines while not playing.

* Catch Ospreys coach Scott Johnson on Scrum V as the team analyse all of the weekend's Magners League action on BBC TWO Wales and online on Sunday at 1800 BST

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