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Germany drops Max Kruse from squad for 'unprofessional' actions

Germany coach Joachim Low has confirmed Max Kruse has been dropped from the squad to face England and Italy after behaving "unprofessionally."

Kruse, who lost a large amount of cash in a Berlin taxi in October, is reported to have grabbed a mobile phone from a woman who was taking pictures of him in a night club in Berlin, where he was celebrating his 28th birthday.

The Wolfsburg forward apologised for his actions but after being given a warning by his club over his future conduct, Low has now told him not to show up for international duty.

"I made it clear to Max Kruse last week what I expect from him, both on and off the field," said Low on the German Football Association's website.

"I want players who focus on football and the European Championship, even between matches.

"Last weekend's incident goes against my expectations. Max has once again behaved unprofessionally and I don't accept that.

"Euro 2016 is on the horizon and we have big goals as a team there. We need players who are focused and aware of their status as a role model."

The Germany squad is due to congregate in Berlin on Tuesday with 26 players rather than the originally summoned 27 expected.

Kruse was also fined €25,000 ($28,000) by his club after the incident with the woman.

The forward was fined a similar amount last week after reports surfaced that he had lost €75,000 ($84,500) in cash in a Berlin taxi in October.

Kruse already had been left off the World Cup squad when Germany won the title two years ago in Brazil, reportedly again because of an off-field incident.

While Germany were winning their fourth World Cup title, Kruse competed in a World Series of Poker tournament in Las Vegas.

Wolfsburg director of sport Klaus Allofs warned forward Max Kruse about his future conduct.

"It's fine that you go out and celebrate your birthday, but you can also celebrate without making headlines," said Allofs to Kicker. "We've already made this clear to him in recent weeks, and there's not much more margin for error.

"He has got to change his behaviour. We've spoken in all seriousness about how we cannot tolerate it, and I expect Max to make his work more of a priority."