Fulham’s Sascha Riether has hailed the ability of Dimitar Berbatov, claiming he is key to the Premier League side’s style of play.

The former Manchester United striker’s goal against Reading last weekend was his third in four starts, displaying the impact he has had at Craven Cottage following his summer arrival.

On-loan defender Riether has been impressed by the Bulgarian so far and insists he is big part of the Cottagers game plan:

“We know that Berba’s a great player and we saw that again (at Reading).” Riether told the Chronicle.

“His goal was unbelievable. He can always keep the ball and he’s a very important player for us.

“We saw when he was not there – when he was injured and did not play – that we did not have the player at the front who could keep the ball for us, and it’s good to have him back.

“Our game is to always play to Berba’s feet.”

Berbatov joined the club from Manchester United during the summer, ending a torrid time at Old Trafford.

Despite a fairly solid goal-scoring return during his four years in the North West he failed to command a regular starting berth.

He was the Premier League’s top scorer during the 2010-11 season, but found himself on the bench frequently last term.

As a result he left the club to reunite with Martin Jol, who brought him to England in 2006 as manager of Tottenham Hotspur.