Nicklas Bendtner: Feels he has grown up since becoming a parent

The 25-year-old Denmark forward, who was farmed out on loan to Juventus last season, maintains he is now very much focused on delivering consistent performances having been handed another chance by Arsene Wenger, who blocked a move away during the summer transfer window.

Bendtner started up front for the Capital One Cup tie with West Brom at The Hawthorns - and is now keen to let his football do the talking.

"First of all I had a baby, which changed me a lot," Bendtner told Arsenal Player. "I think a lot of people say that you have babies and they change you and stuff but for me I could really feel a big difference to my life.

"Being abroad showed me a lot of different things and different aspects of how to live and how to cope with problems. That has given me a lot more as a man for now."

A couple of seasons ago, Bendtner was only too happy to revel in his self-appointed label as "one of the best strikers in the world".

Now, though, the striker has no intentions of letting anything other than his football on the pitch hog the headlines.

Bendtner added: "If people don't like me, that's fair enough. If people can't accept that sometimes you're young and make mistakes and move on, that's not up to me.

"I try to do my best and that's basically all I can do for my family and my friends and everyone around the club.

"I think every football player wants to achieve the [most] within what he can do. That's what makes you.

"If you have a dream and try to do everything you can to be the best that you can, that's you trying to make the best out of your job or what you do.

"I basically said that I think that anybody who plays football in the world would love to be the best. I think that's a normal statement and that got [changed] to me saying that I was the best player in the world.

"I don't know where that came from. I still listen to it now and again and still see it. If people want to believe that, then that's that."