Thierry Henry: Mesut Ozil reminds me of Robert Pires

Arsenal’s record goalscorer Thierry Henry has said that Mesut Ozil reminds him of Robert Pires and that he would “love to play’ with the German.

Henry was speaking last night as a guest during Arsenal’s Champions Leage match against Napoli, in which the Gunners lost 2-0 but qualified for the knock-out stages by the skin of their teeth.

The French striker who is training with Arsenal during the MLS close season says he admires Ozil and the midfielder reminds him of his old France and Gunners team-mate.

“I would have loved to have played with him. He reminds me of Robert Pires,” the New York Red Bulls forward told Sky Sports ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League defeat by Napoli.

“He will share the ball. He can find a guy who is quick, a target striker. He can play any type of ball.

“He has the thing you want from a midfielder: He has time. It seems like he is playing on his own in his garden.

“He brought that composure on the ball that you need. I think he brought that to Arsenal, him coming with his name. You have got to back it up [and] he did back it up.”

Asked what had impressed him the most about Arsenal’s displays this season, Henry replied: “Just the belief that they have again, knowing that they can beat any team at any moment. I think, if you remember well, the game against Bayern Munich [last season], away from home, did a lot for them.

“Knowing that they can beat the champions – [though] they didn’t know it at the time – away from home, and well, did a lot for the team. Since that game, everything changed, for me.”