Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner arrested on suspicion of criminal damage to luxury apartment after going on 'night swim'

Arsenal’s misfiring striker Nicklas Bendtner has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage as his luxury Hertfordshire apartment block, police have confirmed.

The 25-year-old was held yesterday in connection with damage to an apartment building where he lives in the Bushey area, and police confirmed that the Denmark international had been cautioned but will not have to attend court regarding the matter.

A statement released by Hertfordshire Police said: "A 25-year-old man from Bushey has been cautioned for criminal damage and is no longer in custody.

"He was arrested in connection with an incident which occurred at an address in The Avenue, Bushey, in the early hours of November 24."

Bendtner returned to Arsenal in the summer following a series of unsuccessful loan spells, with the latest coming last year in a season-long stint with Italian league champions Juventus where he failed to score in his 10 appearances.

He has since returned to become a regular on the Arsenal bench, acting as cover for first-choice striker Olivier Giroud, but he has cut a frustrating figure in his seven goalless appearances so far this season – although he did score a brace in Denmark’s World Cup qualifier against Italy in October.

Having been with the Gunners since making his debut in the 2005.06 season, he has netted 45 times in 164 appearances, but has constantly been linked with a move away from the north London club in recent seasons.

This culminated in the summer when a move to fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace was called off at the last minute despite Bendtner arriving at the Eagles training ground after Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was unable to bring in a replacement, with his moves for Liverpool’s Luis Suarez and Chelsea’s Demba Ba ending in failure.

Bendtner has spent time with a number of clubs with Sunderland, Birmingham City and the Seria A holders, before making his first appearance for Arsenal in over two years in the Capital One Cup third round victory over West Brom in September this year.

The striker took to his official Instagram account to apologise for the incident, and insists that the matter in now closed.

"On Saturday night after our win against Southampton I went out with family and friends for dinner. After our dinner we all wanted a night swim in my gym so we changed to shorts and brought towels down," Bendtner said.

"As we arrived at the gym my key fob changed the colour from red (locked) to green (open) but the door remained closed.

"We thought the door was stuck so we tried to open it and it caused some damage.

"I apologise for any inconvenience for my neighbours and I have paid in full. We had no part in damaging anything else in the building.

"The matter is closed with the police, and my focus is on tonight’s match."

This isn’t the first time Bendtner has been in hot water though, having been handed a one-match ban and fined €100,000 for lowering his shorts during the 2012 European Championships.

Having scored twice, he celebrated by revealing a well-known bookmakers logo on his underwear, and was subsequently found guilty of improper conduct, although the bookmakers were more than happy to pick up the bill for the unexpected publicity boost.