Former Arsenal forward Nicklas Bendtner has been told to prove himself with Nottingham Forest to earn national team call-up.

The national team coach of Denmark Age Hareide said Bendtner stood a chance of featuring for his country but said he must get his priorities right at club level. Bendtner played his first game for Forest earlier this month. He left German club Wolfsburg on a terrible note last term, and has not played competitive football since February this year.

Bendtner has featured four times for Nottingham this season, but it is evident that he is still match rusty. This is the reason he missed out on national team games, and would not be included in upcoming international games. However, Hareide said he could still get invited sometime in the national team set-up if he can prove himself at his club.
On the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Montenegro, and Poland, Hareide said he has no plans of inviting the former Gunner. “No, he has not been. He has played a few games and has been away from football a long time.”

Bendtner used to be one of the top names in Danish football when he was in his prime for Arsenal. His last feature in the national team was last year when Denmark played a 2-2 draw with Sweden. Bendtner has scored 29 goals for his country in 72 games, and would value a call-up to the team now that he has resumed playing regular football.

“If you go on holiday for a season, you must also use many friendly matches to get going, get in fighting shape and get the timing back. He has qualities. It is no doubt, but we must also give him time to build himself up again to be a current player for the national team,” Hareide added.