Nabil Bentaleb: Algeria international disciplined by Schalke

Nabil Bentaleb last played for Schalke in their 7-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League fixture on Tuesday.

Algeria international Nabil Bentaleb has been disciplined by Schalke and removed from their first-team squad, according to the German Bundesliga Club.

"Nabil Bentaleb has been dropped to the U23s due to disciplinary reasons," Schalke confirmed in a statement on their website.

"The door is still open for him to return to the first-team squad and there is no set time frame on how long he will spend with the U23s," the statement said.

The midfielder, who did not play for Schalke in their 1-0 home defeat to RB Leipzig on Saturday, is also carrying an injury.

"The 24-year-old cannot train due to a groin problem at the moment, so will only be doing rehabilitation work for the time being," Schalke added.

Bentaleb last played for Schalke in their 7-0 defeat to Manchester City last week, as they lost their last-16 European Champions League tie 10-2 on aggregate.

He signed a four-year deal with Schalke from Tottenham Hotspur in February 2017, having spent time at the German club on loan.

Bentaleb has not been picked for Algeria's final 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against The Gambia on 22 March. Algeria have already qualified for Egypt 2019.

The France-born player represented Algeria at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and was part of the Desert Foxes' Nations Cup squads in both 2015 and 2017.