Bobby Wood failed to make an impression in Hamburg's 2-1 defeat at Hertha Berlin on Saturday.
Hamburg coach Markus Gisdol says United States attacker Bobby Wood is in a "negative spiral" and suggested he could soon lose his place in the team.
Wood, 24, stayed at Hamburg in the summer despite links with the Premier League but he has scored just two league goals in the current calendar year.
On Saturday, Wood played for 56 minutes in Hamburg's 2-1 defeat at Hertha Berlin, touching the ball only 19 times in a largely anonymous display. His replacement, 17-year-old Jann-Fiete Arp, then scored just 17 minutes after his introduction.
"We do everything to support him, but we can't do more than we do right now," Gisdol told reporters. "It's up to Bobby to drag himself out of it."
HSV host Stuttgart ahead of the upcoming international break and Gisdol suggested he could be dropped, saying: "In the end, the performance principle also applies to him.
"It all falls together. He's descended into a negative spiral from which he has to free himself. He has the potential to be a good forward, but he is not in any sort of form right now. He might give it his all, but things are not going well for him somehow."
Hamburg are currently 16th in the 18-team Bundesliga, taking just seven points from 10 games, with six of them coming from two wins on the first two match days of the season.
They have scored three goals in the eight matches since then, taking just one further point in a goalless home draw with fellow strugglers Werder Bremen.
Stephan Uersfeld is the Germany correspondent for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @uersfeld.
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Source: espn.co.uk