Arsenal News: Thierry Henry to Play against Leeds

According to North London-based club Arsenal's boss Arsene Wenger, legendary Frenchman Thierry Henry is set to face Leeds United on Monday night in an FA Cup game. However, he may not play the full 90 minutes.

Wenger is set to send the club's record goal scorer straight into the thick of things, after having sealed a short-term loan deal for the Frenchman.

I'm pleased [to sign Henry] because it took a little while to get the paperwork done, but finally it is done, Wenger told Arsenal.com, He works hard, but he is a bit behind physically. In one or two weeks he will be fine. He will be involved against Leeds. At the moment 90 minutes is a bit long for him because he has not played for a long time.

Meanwhile, Wenger also added that no matter how Henry performed for the club in this short span of time, there was no danger of tarnishing his legacy, during his second spell with Arsenal. The player's reputation at the club is such that he was immortalized with a statue outside the Emirates recently, ahead of the club's 125th anniversary celebrations.

Thierry is a world-class player and even at this club a player of that dimension is always very difficult to find, especially at this period of the season. He can just add something more to the team. Certainly he is one of the best signings I have made. It is difficult to compare defenders and strikers, but one of the best for sure, said Wenger.

Incidentally, the club may be able to make last-minute adjustments, with Henry's parent club New York Red Bulls, to keep hold of the player for the first leg against Italian outfit AC Milan, in the last-16 of the Champions League.

The deal is, at the start, six and a half weeks. If he is needed a bit longer, if it is really needed, until the end of February. He can still be there for the Milan game [on February 15th], he said.

Henry will now look to add to his massive tally of 226 goals for Arsenal, according to an Arsenal.com report.