• Champions League qualifying

Bendtner may get Champions League recall

ESPN staff
August 16, 2011
Nicklas Bendtner could return to the Arsenal side against Udinese © Getty Images
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Arsene Wenger is considering a dramatic U-turn by calling on wantaway Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner in their Champions League qualifying tie against Udinese on Tuesday.

Bendtner, 23, has expressed his desire to leave Emirates Stadium and has courted interest from Sporting Lisbon and Borussia Dortmund, as well as Premier League suitors in the form of Newcastle and Sunderland.

However, with the striker yet to find a new club, Wenger is considering reinstating the Dane for the crucial European tie. Robin van Persie is banned and Marouane Chamakh has fallen down the pecking order, leaving the door open for Bendtner to reignite his Gunners career.

Reflecting on an interview Bendtner gave on television last week, Wenger told the Daily Mirror: "In his interview Bendtner, said he was gone. But I checked, and he's not gone at all!

"I promised I'd let him go if he found the right club and that hasn't changed. When I make a promise, I keep it. But if he doesn't find the right opportunity, he'll stay and fight for his place like everybody else. He looks sharp in training."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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