Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Robbie Kruse may be on his way out of the BayArena. The defensive options for Roger Schmidt look to be in short supply, including recent casualty Ömer Toprak, whereas their attacking force seem to be slightly overcrowded.
The 26-year-old is still recovering from ankle ligament injury which saw him miss the Asia Cup and the remainder of the 2014/15 season for Leverkusen, only returning at the start of June. It was the problem which also seen him miss the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Injuries and competition for places have driven him down the pecking order
In their strike force, die Werkself boast Karim Bellarabi, Julian Brandt, Heung-Min Son and summer signing Admir Mehmedi – who signed from relegated side SC Freiburg for €8 million – not to mention Kruse, who can also play as a right winger and a secondary striker. It looks likely that his future at Leverkusen is uncertain with his position being over-populated.
The Leverkusen man made his Bundesliga debut in the red of Fortuna Düsseldorf in their 0-2 away win against FC Augsburg in August 2012, he was 23 years old. He made his Champions League debut, this time under Sami Hyypiä, in their 4-2 away loss to English giants Manchester United.
It's never really worked out at Leverkusen
Kruse’s current contract runs to 2017 after joining Bayer Leverkusen in 2013 from Düsseldorf, who he linked up with in 2011 from his home nation side Melbourne. He is currently valued at €1.5m. Australia may welcome back their hero abroad as the curtain on his Bundesliga career looks to be coming down.
His last season in Germany was a rather dreadful one. His season affecting injury most definitely played a part. He only managed seven appearances in the Leverkusen strip. Overall at the North Rhine-Westphalia side he has 28 appearances under his belt in the two years at the club, scoring just three goals.