Mikel Arteta remembers how Thierry Henry left Everton stars as youth players

Mikel Arteta has reflected on what it was like to face the “unstoppable” Thierry Henry when the current Arsenal boss was playing for Everton.

The Spaniard spent six and a half years at Goodison Park before joining the Gunners in 2011, with his five-year spell as a player in the Emirates also with a brief cameo by Henry when he joined on loan from the New York Red Bulls.

Before then, however, Henry had become the Gunners’ all-time leading scorer and one of the best strikers in the world during his eight years at the club from 1999 to 2007, and Arteta has remembered what it was like to face him.

“When I had to face him, it was at a moment that he was unstoppable,” Arteta told the Arsenal website, naming Henry as the toughest player he has ever faced.

“It seemed like he was playing against youth players, and at that moment I noticed a superiority on his part compared to everyone I had never felt.”

Arteta also said that she would love to be able to call Henry in his current Arsenal setup as he answered a wide variety of questions in a question and answer session.

When asked which players from the past he would like to bring back and use on his team, he said, “For example, someone like Thierry would be great.

“Someone like Patrick would be great, some leaders behind us, we have had many great players who have had great success with this football club.”

“One player I admired a lot when I was young was Michael Laudrup. I used to love him and the way he played.”