Max Kruse (now with Wolfsburg) still had something to clarify with his old club Photo: dpa
By Kurt Hofman
This is the next clear signal from VfL Wolfsburg to Max Kruse (34).
At the beginning of September, VfL coach Niko Kovac (50) took the tough decision and removed Kruse from the squad before the 1-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt. Not just for the one Bundesliga game at Hessen, but forever and ever.
“He will not be there in the future and will definitely not play anymore,” Kovac added to his personnel decision at the time. Now the next stage in the weeding process.
Test match slap for Kruse
On Thursday afternoon, VfL Wolfsburg secretly tested against second division side Hansa Rostock, but didn’t cover themselves with glory when it was 0-0. Max Kruse was not even in the squad against the Baltic Sea club. Means: The striker is only allowed to train at VfL, even in friendlies he no longer plays a role.
The striker’s contract runs until June 30, 2023. An early separation would be possible if a club signals an interest in Kruse in the winter transfer window (January 1 to 31). Or both sides separate prematurely by means of a termination agreement, through which a severance payment would be due for the offensive man.
According to BILD information, Kruse collects around 3.8 million euros gross per season from Lower Saxony.