Arsenal striker a doubt for new season - Exclusive
Published 07:00 06/07/10 By John Cross
Nicklas Bendtner has been forced to scrap his holiday and return to Arsenal after his injury nightmare flared up again.
He says his long-standing groin problem dogged him during the World Cup and is returning to London for an MRI scan tomorrow.
It is a major setback for Bendtner and could even mean he misses the start of the Premier League season next month because of the injury.
Denmark striker Bendtner believes the groin injury first occurred after his horrific car smash in his Aston Martin near the Arsenal training ground last September.
Despite missing months of the season and undergoing groin surgery, it would appear the problem has not gone away and he even claims the pain is so bad he struggles to get out of bed.
Bendtner said: “I still feel quite bad in my groin. Sadly it hasn’t been better during my holiday, like I expected it to giving it nothing but rest. And that worries me a lot.
“I had hoped and counted on, that a total break from football and training would heal the injury, but is hasn’t happened.
“I have spoken to Arsenal throughout the holiday and I am having to do a big scan when I return this week.
“My whole body must be scanned to find out where the groin problem really comes from.
“I still feel pain, and it is very frustrating. I don’t know where I am in relation to playing football.
“It doesn’t feel good at all. Some mornings I can hardly get out of bed.
“It is not the best way to return to Arsenal like this, but the club and I have to get to the bottom of my problem now.”
Bendtner, who has cut short his holiday after South Africa, struggled in the World Cup as he lacked fitness and sharpness, having missed the tail end of the Premier League campaign.
But even worse for Arsenal is that he is another big-name player who has not been cured by the club’s under-fire medical department.
Cesc Fabregas, William Gallas, Theo Walcott and Andrey Arshavin all missed huge chunks of last season.
Manager Arsene Wenger even ordered a full review of the club’s medical department and Bendtner’s latest complaint will again raise alarm bells at the Emirates.
