Facing Arsenal will be weird – Thierry Henry

• Posted on March 28, 2014March 28, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The Gunners legend will come up against his former club in a friendly in July and he admits it will be strange to face Arsene Wenger’s side

New York Red Bulls captain Thierry Henry admits it will be “weird” to play former club Arsenal when the Premier League club visits in July.

Arsenal and the Red Bulls confirmed on Thursday they will play a friendly on July 26 as part of the English club’s maiden tour of the United States.

The match will be part of Arsenal’s pre-season preparations for the 2014-15 Premier League campaign and Henry – who played 254 matches for the Londoners between 1999 and 2007, plus four more when on loan in 2012 – knows it will be a strange feeling lining up against his former club.

“It’ll be weird. I know it’s a friendly game, I know it’s this, I know it’s that. It’s going to be weird for me,” the 36-year-old Frenchman told reporters.

“Whenever I have to face Arsenal, it’s a weird one. I’ve had to do it once with Barcelona, we went to play the Emirates Cup in London and now they are coming here.

“So, it will be kind of weird, especially when you know that our fans are going to be there but I won’t be mad if people come here only to see Arsenal.

“It’s a team that you don’t see often, but it’s going to be weird obviously. I see that jersey and I’m not wearing it, it feels weird.”

Henry added he is over the moon Arsenal decided to tour the USA, following in the footsteps of other Premier League clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester City.

“Recently they have been going to Asia, so I said to myself why don’t they come to the US?” Henry said.

“They are the only team from the Premiership who didn’t come, so when I found out it was for real, obviously when I was there, I was asking some questions and they did let me know that it might happen.

“So I was obviously over the moon as you can imagine, and excited.”

By Michael Huguenin