Nicklas Bendtner's drunk driving has already lost him a lot of respect from Danish fans, but now he has also lost his status as Denmark's striker number 1.
His name is Andreas Cornelius; he's 20 years-old and total opposite of Nicklas Bendtner, keeps both feets on the ground. Last Friday he scored his first goal for Denmark and was an important player in the 3-0 win against the Czech Republic. Denmark only managed to get a draw against Bulgaria tonight, but Cornelius performed well once again. The young talent provoked a penalty on which Agger scored.
With Bendtner away from the national team for the next five months, Cornelius has taken his chance and shown football Europe why Arsenal is keeping an eye on him. In fact, Cornelius has much the same stature as Bendtner; high, strong physic and great with the head. Furthermore, the young striker is capable of scoring with both feet. On the negative side, he is not the fastest or has the best agility.
However, there are a couple of other future prospects of the Danish national team that can take over where Cornelius is lacking. Victor Fischer has got his breakthrough in Ajax this season and will develop into a key player for the Dutch and for Denmark within a couple of years. The forces of the Ajax striker are definitely his agility and pace, along with a great shot.
While Victor Fischer already is playing in a European top club, a couple of Superliga talents could be heading the same way. In Aalborg, a 21-year old striker named Nicklas Helenius is almost ready to take the next step. I'm sure that, by the end of next summer, he will be playing in either English, German or Dutch football. The striker ended last season as topscorer in the Danish Superliga and is a vital part of Aalborg's offence. However, it may be time for him to travel abroad, and Aalborg is in need of money.
In Brøndby, as well, is there a future prospect for the national team. Given his debut against the Czech Republic on Friday, Simon Makienok is the direct replacement for Cornelius. The striker is a typical target man, with a good height and physic, and is capable of holding the ball until his team mates can assist him. And like Cornelius, the striker keeps both feet on the ground and waits for his chance to shine.
Bendtner is "banned" from playing for Denmark a for a couple of months. However, there is no doubt Morten Olsen will allow him back on the team - if he finds a club to play for. At the moment, Bendtner should only be focussed on finding a new club - and not drinking and driving - as his position on the national team is under threat. In the future, we might see a Denmark team without Nicklas Bendtner; we have other options now.
