Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp felt Robin van Persie made his move to the Gunners at the right time in his career.

Bergkamp was something of a mentor for Van Persie while the younger Dutchman was finding his feet at Highbury following his move to London in 2004. And he always expected the 28-year-old to become a major player - because he took advice on board.

"As soon as he trained with us you could see his potential," recalled Bergkamp to the Official Arsenal Magazine. "He seemed free, he played with a lot of freedom. You could see immediately he was a very talented player.

"I got to know him a bit, obviously with us both being Dutch, so I tried to help him with a few things. You could really tell that he's a good person, a good lad, and totally the opposite to the stories that were coming out of Holland at the time about him.

"They said he was a difficult character, wouldn't listen to experienced players and so on, but he was a great example of a player making the right move at the right time. He joined a settled team with a lot of big players, and from day one he respected those players and listened to them, and I think that helped him a lot."