Nicklas Bendtner has hailed the impact made by Arsenal pal Carlos Vela after his hat-trick this week. The Mexico international hit his treble against Carling Cup opponents Sheffield United and Bendtner said: "I remember when Carlos first came here, he was 16 and showed good things during his trial.

"Now he has come back and has been doing really well.

"He works really hard and is a really good finisher.

"All through pre-season we have been playing together and we combined really well."

Bendtner has already been involved in both the Barclays Premier League and Champions League this season, securing three starts.

The young Dane is determined to make a lasting impression on the first team.

"I will try to push on as much as possible and try to get into the squad more regularly - scoring two goals again can hopefully help with that," he said.

"We have good strikers here, but I am trying to do what I can do.

"If I keep playing well, it is going to be hard for the boss to pick the team and that is what I want to make him do."