HENRIK Pedersen says it will a sad day when “Mr Bolton” Kevin Davies leaves his adopted home of the Reebok Stadium.
A former team-mate of Davies in the Wanderers attack soon after the turn of the millennium, Pedersen knows full well the contribution the Yorkshireman made both on and off the field during their four years in the same side.
And he admits he was a huge part of the success the team enjoyed under Sam Allardyce in the middle of the last decade.
Pedersen told The Bolton News: “He is right up there with the best players I played with.
“Maybe he did not have the technical ability of the likes of Youri Djorkaeff or Jay-Jay Okocha but I bet he was the first name on the teamsheet.
“He was a big part of the way we played under Sam Allardyce.
“He was like an old-style English centre-forward who was good in the air, hard to defend against and always positive and hard-working.
“When he was in the team, the two centre-backs were occupied with him and it created space for the wingers and everyone else up front.”
Pedersen left Wanderers to join Hull in 2007 but stayed in touch with Davies and caught up with him when both his old sides met earlier this season.
And he believes he can play on for several years while he stays fit.
The Dane added: “It’s a shame he is leaving Bolton but that’s football sometimes.
“He became Mr Bolton after playing for so long at the club.
“He joined two years after I did and straight away he had an impact.
“He was a great team-mate and a good friend.
“Not only was he an asset on the pitch but also a big character in the dressing room and on the social side of things away from football.
“I saw him when Bolton played Hull and he still looks like he can play on and he should because you are a long time stopped.
“I know that from experience after hanging my boots up.
“He can still do a job for another club, I am sure of that because he keeps himself fit.”
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