Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes that striker Nicklas Bendtner will have a point to prove when Nottingham Forest take on the Gunners in the EFL Cup on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old, who spent a nine-year spell with the Gunners, will now line up against his former club in Tuesday night’s EFL Cup clash.

Wenger admits that he was surprised to hear the news that Bendtner has joined Forest but he also insisted that a player of his quality needs regular game time under his belt.

‘It was a surprise to me that Nicklas signed for Nottingham Forest, but at some stage, he needs to restart his career,’ Wenger told the Arsenal website.

‘Sometimes when you are a player of his quality, you just need an opportunity. We know he is a top-quality player, but he needs to play.’

The 66-year-old believes the Denmark  international will have a point to prove and says his side will be wary of the threat Bendtner poses.

‘Of course, he has a point to prove. He’s playing at a level he is not used to. But he did start his career at this level at Birmingham City with Steve Bruce, where he did very well. Nicklas is humble enough and focused enough to show he can fight again,’ he added.

Over the course of his career, Bendtner has scored 76 times and assisted 34 goals from 367 appearances in all competitions playing for Birmingham City, Arsenal, Sunderland, Juventus, and Wolfsburg.

On the international front, the Danish forward has the forward has netted 29 goals and has picked up 73 caps for the national team since making his debut in 2006.

Nottingham Forest against Arsenal kicks off at 20:45.