Bergkamp ready to travel to Ajax tie

DENNIS BERGKAMP says Robin van Persie has the mental strength to cope with his latest setback but he is ready to make the overland trip to cover for his compatriot's suspension against Ajax.

Having endured a summer in which he was held in prison for two weeks while under investigation for an alleged rape, which he denies, van Persie was sent off against FC Thun in Arsenal's opening Champions League group tie.

The Dutch international was left proclaiming his innocence, with the dismissal certainly harsher than his red card at Southampton last season, when he lost his self-control and endangered his Arsenal future.

While Arsene Wenger made clear his disgust at that dismissal, he was decidedly more supportive this time around, even if UEFA have yet to receive any official appeal against the red card.

Bergkamp also revealed his sympathy for his compatriot, who was shown a straight red card for catching Alen Orman in the face with his raised boot: "We felt aggrieved because we had a good view from the bench and he was always looking at the ball, there was no intent in it.

"His reactions showed that. UEFA have to look at it because there was no intent there. But he is a good player and as long as he is on the pitch, he will always show it.

"A lot of things have already happened to him in his young football career and I think he can handle it, he's got quite a tough mind."

Van Persie is now set to miss at least the next group tie at Ajax, while UEFA will await the referee's report and any appeal by Arsenal before deciding whether to increase the ban, keep it the same or quash the suspension.

With Thierry Henry already ruled out for up to six weeks with a groin injury, even a one-game ban could still be a blow for Arsenal's European ambitions.

While Bergkamp, who does not fly, would struggle to make it as far as the second away tie at Sparta Prague next month, he has travelled to Amsterdam in the past.

Indeed, the Dutchman is ready to visit his former club again for the tie on September 27 in his final season in top-flight football.

"I don't think going to Amsterdam will be a problem but you have to look at it game-to-game. I am always willing. I said goodbye to everybody at the Amsterdam tournament this summer but now it could be hello again," he said.

Wenger will delay any final decision on Bergkamp's travel plans, although it is now likely that the Dutchman will miss the league game against West Ham on September 24 to allow time for his father-in-law to drive him to Holland.

"Of course, if Robin van Persie is not available, then I will see about Dennis. We have two big games before that against Everton and West Ham," he said.

"The problem is, that when you make a player travel as far as that, you have to be sure that you play him. To make him go on the bench after a seven-hour journey is a tricky situation. He is not a 20-year-old boy, but I will make the decision as soon as possible."

The likely absence of Henry and van Persie in Amsterdam has again highlighted the lack of strength in depth in Arsenal's squad, with even Jeremie Aliadiere on loan at West Ham.

However, Bergkamp believes Arsenal's youngsters, such as Reyes, van Persie and Cesc Fabregas, will learn from their troubled start to the season.

"If everything goes smoothly when you are a young player, you do not learn a lot. It is hard for us but it is only the beginning of the season. We still have a long way to go," he insisted.

"To get this win was good but now we have two away games and we have to get something out of them. Then, we will be in a good position.

"It is all about the team performance in these games though. If I look back when I was younger, I only thought about my own game.

"We, the experienced players, are here to tell the younger players and remind them it is about the team. Otherwise, we could end up with a good season when we have scored a lot of goals - but we have won nothing."