Bendtner excluded from training as Wolfsburg exit looks likely

Nicklas Bendtner looks set to leave Wolfsburg after being told by the club he no longer needs to attend first-team training.

The former Arsenal striker has struggled to settle since joining in 2014 and has faced a number of disciplinary problems this season, including fines for being late to training and for posting a photo on social media of his Mercedes, which angered the hierarchy of a club sponsored by Volkswagen.

Bendtner, who had been training alone in recent weeks, has now been exempted from training with the rest of the squad and sporting director Klaus Allofs expects a decision on his future to be made imminently.

“The current situation is unsatisfactory for all involved and cannot be allowed to become a permanent status,” he told the club’s official website. “For that reason, we got together again on Wednesday and held discussions along with his agent in search of a solution.

He added to Bild: “We have decided that he does not have to come in for now. The fact that he has been training on his own recently was not something we wanted to carry on.”

Bendtner has made 19 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring four times.