Wolfsburg must try to avoid their first ever Bundesliga relegation without captain Maximilian Arnold for injury reasons, the club said on Wednesday.

Arnold, 31, has been nursing adductor problems for weeks.

According to a statement citing coach Dieter Hecking he "has suffered a setback on Sunday in training so that we decided in consultations with doctors that it would be better to take him out of the squad completely for now, also with a view to the new season.”

Midfielder Arnold joined the Wolfsburg academy in 2009 and has become the face of the team. He played a 400th Bundesliga match for them earlier this month.

The 2009 champions Wolfsburg are second last with three games left, one point behind St Pauli in the relegation play-off spot. Wolfsburg have played in the Bundesliga without interruption since 1997, saving themselves from relegation twice in a play-off in the past.

“Anyone who knows me knows how hard it is for me not to be able to help the team during this difficult period,” Arnold said.

“Despite my rehabilitation programme, I will remain close to the team to continue supporting them in our shared goal of avoiding relegation.”