Mikel Arteta has described Nicklas Bendtner's attitude as "spot on" since returning to Arsenal from his loan spells.
The Dane's appearances this season have been limited due to Olivier Giroud's excellent form but on Wednesday he came off the bench to score an 89th-minute goal to help the Gunners beat Cardiff City
Arteta thinks Bendtner will have a big part to play when he returns from the ankle injury he suffered in scoring his goal.
"We need people like him to help the team when he's needed"
Mikel Arteta
"He is part of this team and he's worked hard," Arteta told the Matchday Show. "His attitude has been spot on since I've been here and he knows that he has to wait for his time, Olivier [Giroud] has been doing really well.
"The manager decided to play Lukas [Podolski] up front but when he [Bendtner] came on I think he looked really sharp and he looked dangerous.
"We need people like him to help the team when he's needed."
The Gunners were left frustrated for long periods by Cardiff but Arteta says it was important to stick to their gameplan.
"We talked about it at half-time because in the first half we were too anxious to go forward and they had two dangerous breaks," he said. "So we said 'let's make sure we defend well and the goals will come'.
"It took a long time but I think we deserved the points because we had enough chances to win the game."
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