Bergkamp hails Anelka

Ahead of Anelka`s first return to the North London club since his acrimonious move to Real Madrid, Bergkamp says the French flyer`s style of play complemented his own, perfectly.

Bergkamp also shot down rumours that Liverpool`s new forward was not liked in the Highbury dressing room, claiming Anelka was never a problem.

Bergkamp and Anelka formed a sizzling partnership when Arsenal won the Premiership title in 1998, and the Dutchman feels that was one of his best seasons in an Arsenal shirt.

When asked about Anelka, Bergkamp said: "As a strike partner, Nicolas was probably the best I`ve had at Highbury in terms of understanding.

"That`s quite a plaudit when you understand all the partners I`ve had here from Ian Wright and John Hartson through to Thierry Henry and even Francis Jeffers.

"The way Nicolas played suited me perfectly because he was always looking to run forward on goal. That made it easy for me to predict what he wanted and to know instinctively where he would be on the pitch.

"That directness was just right. Thierry tends to want the ball to come to him or to drift towards the flanks more.

"Nicolas was focused on heading for goal and scoring. He loved having the ball played for him to run on to and going one on one with the keeper.

"That made for a successful and enjoyable partnership which I think is reflected in the statistics."

Despite leading The Gunners to domestic glory, Anelka decided he wanted to test himself on another stage and sealed a £23 million move to Real Madrid in the summer of 1999.

The transfer was shrouded in controversy, as his desire to leave Highbury saw him virtually refuse to play for Arsenal.

This led to headlines of clashes with other members of the Arsenal squad, but Bergkamp claims this was never the case.

He said: "Rumours that the players at Arsenal disliked Nicolas when he was at Highbury are quite simply untrue.

"He never caused any disruption or ill-feeling in the dressing room. He was just a normal kid who was a little bit quiet.

"I think the problems he`s had with controversial headlines were more to do with people around him speaking for him - rather than Nicolas speaking for himself.   Nicolas is a good guy."

Bergkamp feels Liverpool have done well to snare Anelka on a loan deal from PSG, saying: "The signing of Nicolas does constitute a risk for Gerard Houllier, but it is a risk worth taking.

"The thought of Michael Owen and Nicolas forming a strike partnership should send shivers down the spines of every Premiership defender."