Wolfsburg’s Nicklas Bendtner training on his own after fitness ultimatum

Nicklas Bendtner has been warned by Wolfsburg to improve his fitness if he wants to have a future at the club. The former Arsenal striker is following an individual training regime because he club are unhappy with his condition.

The Wolfsburg manager Dieter Hecking has said that while he continues to “clearly lag behind” his team-mates he is not going to be considered for the first team.

Wolfsburg’s director of sport Klaus Allofs has told the Dane he has a decision to make. “The demands on a footballer in Germany are different to [those] in England or in Denmark,” he told Sport Bild magazine.

“If anybody wants to play for us then they can follow us. Anybody who doesn’t want to do that and does not get in line has no place at this club.”

Hecking hopes the warning will work, insisting that he is not being punished. “I hope he realises that this does him good,” Hecking told Sport1.de. “He can really do with this to get better.”

Bendtner is regarded as Wolfsburg’s third-choice forward behind Bas Dost and summer recruit Max Kruse.