When Ian Holloway nearly signed Nicklas Bendtner for Crystal Palace

Ian Holloway has revealed he nearly signed Nicklas Bendtner while manager of Crystal Palace, and has described the Danish striker as a player who "needs to be loved".

Holloway was in charge at Selhurst Park between November 2012 and October 2013, and tried to sign Bendtner, who has just moved to Nottingham Forest, in the summer of 2013.

Holloway also compared the 28-year-old with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but insists his fitness rate and goalscoring ability does not match the Swede's.

"I nearly signed Nicklas Bendtner at Crystal Palace," Holloway told Sky Sports. "I actually really liked him as a person. If we had got the deal done, I reckon I could've got something out of him.

"He's a Zlatan Ibrahimovic-type of player in terms of ability, the only difference is Ibrahimovic keeps himself fit and is able to keep scoring.

"He's a player that needs to feel wanted. I don't think Bendtner has ever really felt appreciated. That's the impression I got from him - he needs to be loved."

Former Arsenal striker, Bendtner, has struggled for form in recent years following loan stints at Sunderland and Juventus, as well as two years in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg.

He has only hit double figures of league goals in a season once, during his loan spell at Birmingham in 2006/07, and Holloway says his move to the City Ground is intriguing.

"Arsene Wenger spotted that talent and Nicklas has to start showing that talent on a regular basis now.

"Sometimes it's a curse to have as much talent as he has. It's a curse if you can't use and channel that talent properly. I believe dealing with things in your head is more important than the physical side of football.

"It's a really intriguing signing as we don't know where he is physically or mentally - plus he'd have earned a lot of money in the last few years.

"The question is: what does he want out of his life? Surely he's going to want to attain some professional pride about what he does on the football pitch. After meeting him a couple of times, I felt he was ready to do that.

"Bendtner is box office and gives everyone another reason to watch the Championship to see what he can do. The longer he hasn't found his best form for, the harder it is to recapture. It's all down to how much he wants it."