Schalke 04 have suspended Max Meyer following the midfielder's criticism of sporting director Christian Heidel.

The 22-year-old, who is out of contract in the summer, has featured in 28 of Schalke's 37 games this season.

However, Meyer has seen his playing time at the club limited since turning down a new contract offer in mid-February.

Earlier this week, Meyer gave an interview to German outlet Bild in which he criticised Heidel and accused the club of trying to bully him in contract negotiations.

"I simply did not want to stay with Schalke and work under Heidel," the playmaker said. "It's all about this. Lately, it just feels like bullying to me."

The Gelsenkirchen-based outfit have since taken action and excluded Meyer from first-team training, with Heidel stating: "We can't tolerate such statements and such behaviour.

"We are upset more by his accusations of bullying, which we strongly deny, than his untrue allegations. Schalke 04 have always behaved correctly to Max Meyer."

Meyer trained with a foot injury last Wednesday but reportedly rejected the opportunity to have an MRI examination and has not trained since.