Henry reveals private conversation with Saka; lauds another Arsenal star for ‘proving people wrong’ | OneFootball

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has revealed details of a private conversation with Bukayo Saka, and he has praised another Gunners star.

Saka‘s performances have been questioned as he has been derailed by injuries this season, but he has returned to form since returning to the team in recent weeks.

And the England international scored the decisive goal as Arsenal edged past Atletico Madrid over two legs to reach the Champions League final, having won 2-1 on aggregate.

The Gunners face a sterner test in the final against Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain, but Saka’s return has boosted them as they look to win the Champions League and Premier League.

After Tuesday’s second leg between Arsenal and Atletico Madrid, Henry revealed that he “spoke to” Saka as he was recovering from his latest injury setback.

“I would love to see if we can speak to Bukayo because I want him to explain to people that being a footballer is not so much always about the glamorous time,” Henry said on CBS Sports.

“He’s been questioned all season. Can he be the guy? Is he not the guy? Is he the star boy? Is he not the star boy? Is he better than him or not better than him? Today he had to play with barely training. I know he’s suffering with his Achilles tendon.

“He came back, I spoke to him and he came back and was like: ‘I’ve got to be on the pitch. I’ve got to be on the pitch against Fulham. I have to be. It’s do or die’.

“So you have to give those guys a lot of credit. Sometimes we take it for granted. We all played through injuries. We all played with moments where you’re not 100 per cent and he had to do it, deliver it for Arsenal.”

“The jury was out on him…”

Henry has also joined a host of other pundits in praising Viktor Gyokeres after he “proved people wrong” in the second leg against Atletico Madrid.

“If I take the example of Gyokeres, the jury was out on him,” Henry added.

“It’s not a bad thing. Embrace it. Try to prove people wrong. Tonight he did.

“Not only tonight, in the last month, I will give him his credit. He’s running, he looks solid and a bit more like a number nine that you can be scared of.

“What I like also is the way they look for him early – play to the strength of the guy because if not, I’m going to see his weaknesses instead of seeing his strong points.

“Now, because of the way they utilise him, I can see what he’s good at and what he’s not good at. It’s a difference. The guy feels more comfortable to make the run where he’s going to excel and not going to see his weakness.”