Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Dennis Bergkamp's influence is finally
beginning to have the desired effect on Robin van Persie.
The 22-year-old scored Arsenal's opener against Sunderland on Saturday and was
a constant threat all afternoon.
His progress has been monitored closely by Wenger who is now happy to note
that Bergkamp's contribution has helped change the former Feyenoord attacker for
the better.
Van Persie is seen as the natural successor to 36-year-old Bergkamp but Wenger
admits such a transition is still some way off.
But the Frenchman believes van Persie has the potential to become as good as
the legendary Dutchman whom Wenger labels a 'genius'.
'The best thing when you have Dennis in front of you is to watch what he does
and try to copy it,' said Wenger. 'Dennis speaks to him and it is very
important for every player to have a role model. He can't have a better one.
'At some stage, you have to replace Dennis. Robin still has some work to do
as Dennis is a genius but I feel he has the potential to play for Arsenal.
'Will he be as good as Dennis? That is down to him. He has the ingredients.
The biggest part is to do it.'
Van Persie has still not earned a regular place in Wenger's starting line-up
despite his impressive displays.
But the time is fast approaching when the youngster will have finally
acclimatised to the pace of the Premiership to get his chance on a regular
basis.
'At the moment, I feel he's the closest prospect to partner Thierry Henry as
a central striker,' said Wenger. 'He doesn't have the experience and the final
ball of Dennis but he can score goals and has some class as well.
'His priorities have changed. He tries to play with other players and, if
that's not possible, to do something on his own. That makes him more efficient.
'I am trying to give Robin 70 minutes at the moment, it's just enough for
him. He works hard but hasn't had enough games yet to go through completely.
'When he's played 10 games on the trot, then we could leave him on longer.
I'm trying to get him used to the pace of the game and play to his full
potential.'
