Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 8y

Nicklas Bendtner a 'threat' to team says VfL Wolfsburg sporting executive

VfL Wolfsburg have said they were forced to release former Arsenal attacker Nicklas Bendtner from training because he posed a "threat" to the team.

Bendtner's time at Wolfsburg all but came to an end last week, when the club released the Dane from training. And, following talks between his representatives and Wolfsburg, the club are looking into cancelling his contract.

Speaking on NDR TV, Wolfsburg sporting executive Klaus Allofs defended the measures and said Bendtner's behaviour had left the club with no other choice.

"Certain things happened. We saw him as a threat for the collective," Allofs said. "That's why we need to act."

Bendtner joined Wolfsburg in 2014 after he was released from his Arsenal contract earlier that summer, but has made headlines for his behaviour off the pitch.

The former Arsenal attacker, who is under contract at Wolfsburg until 2017, was fined for posting a picture getting into a Mercedes -- domestic rivals to the club's owners Volkswagen -- on Instagram, and also for arriving 50 minutes late for a training session.

He had already been asked to put in extra training sessions during the club's winter training camp due to a lack of fitness and, until last week, he was banned from team training, instead working individually at the club's training facilities.

The Dane has made a total of 46 appearances in all competitions, most of them as a late substitute, and scored eight goals.

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