Kevin De Bruyne could struggle to regain his place in the Wolfsburg starting lineup ahead of a crucial few weeks in the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal.
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With seven league games left to be played, Die Woelfe sit fifth in the table and are only three points behind Bayer Leverkusen, who hold the final Champions League spot.
A 3-1 win at Werder Bremen on Tuesday was the first three points for Wolfsburg since their 3-1 victory against Leverkusen on Feb. 22, which was followed by two defeats and two draws.
During the last of those draws, a 1-1 tie at home to Augsburg, De Bruyne, 22, was sent off after complaining about picking up a yellow card.
Since his January return to the Bundesliga from Chelsea, the Belgium international has been struggling for form and will find it difficult to force his way back into Wolfsburg’s first XI following his suspension.
His replacement in the centre of midfield, Maxi Arnold, has impressed in De Bruyne’s absence, with the 19-year-old notching one goal and creating one assist since coming into the team.
But Arnold told kicker: “Of course, you miss a player like him [De Bruyne]. And we don’t have to talk about his quality. But we have also shown that we can play without him.”
His words were echoed by Wolfsburg sporting director Klaus Allofs, who told WAZ: “Maybe we would have had even more attacking plays with Kevin, but it’s right, he’s not perfect yet.”