When Milenko Acimovic arrived in the north of France after a disappointing 18 months with Tottenham, Lille fans were expecting a goalscorer.

They got a whole lot more.

In many ways, Acimovic was to Lille what Fernando Morientes was proving to be for Monaco.

An out-and-out striker by trade, Acimovic was transformed into an all-round attacking player, charged with dropping deep to construct the play, running the line to create space and passing short to bringing others into the game. In just 16 games, Acimovic found the back of the net six times in 2003/04, but it was his displays of skill that endeared him to the LOSC faithful.

A balanced player who can shoot, dribble and use both feet, Acimovic’s first season in France produced hopes of more to come. Unfortunately, injury - coupled with the emergence of Matt Moussilou as Claude Puel’s preferred target man - limited Acimovic’s impact in 2004/05.