Sam Allardyce has revealed that El Hadji Diouf would go to extreme lengths in order to earn a day off.

Allardyce enjoyed a successful relationship with Diouf during their time at Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers but the striker was known to be a difficult player to work with.

Now Allardyce has gone on to reveal that Diouf was always on the lookout to get a day off and in an attempt to earn a reprieve from training, the former Senegalese international stated on two separate occasions that his grandmother had passed away.

Allardyce said: "He was the strangest one because his gran died twice. El Hadji Diouf would do anything or say anything to get a day off.

"The problem for Dioufy was that he forgot she had already died once when he mentioned it the second time.

"If Dioufy didn't have to do exercise, I am sure she would never have died at all."