Shkodran Mustafi unlikely to play for Schalke again after manager fallout

Shkodran Mustafi has likely played his last game for Schalke 04 after falling out with manager Dimitrios Grammozis.

Mustafi, along with teammate William, was conspicuously absent from the squad that slipped to a 2-1 defeat to out of form Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.

Mustafi's return to Germany has been a disaster | INA FASSBENDER/Getty Images

Before the game, the club's Twitter account explained the pair's absence, stating: "Shkodran Mustafi is not in the squad for sporting reasons today. William is also not included for disciplinary reasons. Both players will have the chance to impress again in training next week."

However as reported by Bild, regardless of how well Mustafi trains, he is unlikely to feature for Schalke again as his relationship with Grammozis could be strained beyond repair.

Mustafi only arrived in Gelsenkirchen in January, finally bringing an error strewn five-year spell at Arsenal - in which he made 102 Premier League appearances and 151 in all competitions - to an end. He joined the Bundesliga strugglers on a free transfer, but has been unable to bring any kind of success to a doomed Schalke side who have won just once this season.

His debut came during the 3-0 debut to RB Leipzig, and his subsequent five appearances have yielded just two points. Mustafi has already made a number of mistakes, while Schalke have somehow ploughed their way through five managers in a single season - David Wagner, Manuel Baum, Huub Stevens, Christian Gross and, now, Grammozis.

Mustafi only signed a contract until the end of the campaign, so it's likely he'll be released once Die Knappen's relegation is confirmed.

Unbelievably, he was previously linked with Barcelona - owing to their significant cash flow problem - but it's far more likely that any future career move will see previously interested sides from Serie A and Turkey take a punt.


Source : 90min