Hamburg ban players from training

Ex-Premier League players Michael Mancienne and Paul Scharner are among a group of five banished from the first team by cash-strapped Hamburg.

The Bundesliga club’s financial woes have deepened so badly they have taken the drastic measures of ostracising five players from first-team training, including Mancienne and Scharner, in a bid to attract prospective buyers.

Arguably their most valuable asset, top scorer Artjoms Rudnevs, has opted to stay put in light of his wife’s impending child birth, mounting further pressure on the likes of Mancienne and Scharner.

Former Wigan utility Scharner was a huge success over five years with the Premier League club but is said to be reluctant to return to England despite interest from promoted club Hull and Everton manager Roberto Martinez, who managed the Austrian at Wigan.

Mancienne spent time on loan at both QPR and Wolverhampton during five years at Chelsea and is said to be shocked at the news following two years at Hamburg.

The 25-year-old, who represented England at all under-age levels, has attracted interest from Turkey and France with Stoke and Reading also said to be monitoring his situation.