AFTER his turbulent career thus far, it was no surprise that Nicolas Anelka got caught up in such a bout of bad publicity last week.

The Manchester City striker refused to join up with Jacques Santini's French international squad for a game with Yugoslavia, claiming that: "I currently do not sense that people want to pick me."

The fall out saw the French Football Federation make an application that Anelka should not be allowed to play in City's next two games, which would have included the game with Wanderers on Saturday.

That has now been discounted, but the future of Anelka's 28 cap international career looks bleak, as Santini said: "If I had to make a selection tomorrow or in the next few days, Anelka would certainly not have much chance of being in it."

Anelka's reputation in his home country was confirmed by French international and Lyon midfielder Eric Carriere who said: "This decision is not going to improve the image he has already."

His reputation throughout Europe is little better. Despite being just 23-years-old he has already starred for Paris St Germain, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Liverpool, but trouble has never been far away.

The lasting memory for the English public was his departure from Arsenal, whom he had joined from PSG for £500,000 in 1997.

Just 12 months after he had helped the Gunners to the double in 1997-98 he effectively told Arsene Wenger that he would not play for the club again.

Anelka appeared to be a lonely, misguided individual that was being exploited by brothers Claude and Didier, who were acting as his agent and attempting to engineer a move to Juventus, Lazio or Real Madrid.

Eventually he moved to Spain for £23 million, but La Liga was not to be the land that would bring peace to the young star.

Within a couple of months rumours travelled to England that he was forced to train on his own and that the player was shunned by his team-mates.

He played just 19 times for Madrid and scored only twice before a return to his native France with PSG in 2000, after he had helped France to victory in Euro 2000.

The move to the French capital was seen as a chance for the star to revive his love of the game, but even in Paris rumours abounded of his brothers attempting to set up a move to Serie A.

He scored 10 goals in 39 starts for cash-strapped PSG, but the player that joined Liverpool on loan in December 2001 was a markedly less effective player than the one that had departed from the Premiership in 1999.

He scored just four goals for Liverpool and suffered a double rejection last summer when Gerard Houllier decided not to buy him and he then failed to make France's World Cup squad.

It was maybe a surprise that he joined Premiership new boys City in June, but - until last week -his spell in Manchester has been relatively free of problems and he has rediscovered the form that made him Europe's hottest property just a couple of years ago.

He is the only City player to have played every minute of every game this season, and has scored eight goals for a club with a modest league record.

Boss Kevin Keegan observed: "We can't stop all the stuff which goes around Nicolas. The only thing we can say is what we see and judge him on that. He has been a model professional and puts in a lot of extra training.

"If someone paid me a £1 million to say something bad about him I couldn't do it on how he has been here. He is very settled and his performances have been top class."

Anelka himself seems to be enjoying life at Maine Road and appears to have turned over a new leaf.

"Sometimes you need a fresh start," he says. "Manchester City have given me that opportunity and I am more than happy to be playing there.

"I get on with the players and I like the manager. Kevin Keegan always remains calm, even when the pressure is on. He tries to relax everyone by creating a good atmosphere. Sometimes he can even be funny.

"When I was younger I was impatient, but not any more. I have grown up, learned to accept that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.

"I am more philosophical, more relaxed about life."

The grown up Nicolas Anelka managed to rise above the French affair of last week by scoring at Middlesbrough on Saturday, and will aim to keep on defying his critics by adding to his tally against Bolton.