Thierry: Thank God for Van Persie

Posted Saturday, December 10, 2011 by The Sun

THIERRY HENRY has described Robin van Persie's form for Arsenal as "ridiculous."

And the club legend is now desperate for the striker to continue his form and, for the first time in his career, stay completely fit.

Van Persie faces Everton today looking for his 33rd Premier League goal in a calendar year.

This would put him one goal behind Gunners hero Henry's best — and three adrift of record-holder Alan Shearer.

Henry, who is now starring for New York Red Bulls in the MLS, admits the Dutchman is a completely different prospect to the precocious individual who arrived from Feyenoord for just £2.5million in 2004.

Van Persie is enjoying the best form of his life and his goals have been crucial for Arsene Wenger's rejuvenated team.

Equally, there is massive pressure on the player not to suffer an injury.

Henry said: "What can I say about Robin? I saw him come in here and at the very beginning he wasn't the easiest guy to deal with — like I wasn't, I guess.

"But it's amazing to see how he has improved. That tells you how intelligent a player he is.

"I have total admiration for what he is doing right now. Thank God he is playing for us and doing well.

"It's nice to see a player improve. What RVP is doing now, in terms of not just goals but ratio of goals — apart from Ronaldo and Messi — is ridiculous.

"He is doing something amazing. That also tells you how important it is for him to not get injured.

"He has never had a chance to have a full season since he has been here — he was always out for two or three months.

"For the very first time he can go on a roll and you can see the difference. I can only admire what he's doing now."

Asked whether Van Persie could become an all-time club hero like Henry, boss Arsene Wenger said: "He is on the way.

"He has exceptional quality and is very important for us. We are in the middle of the season where every point is important. For Robin, I hope he will be great but that is down to him."

Henry, meanwhile, will be among the players who will walk onto the pitch before the game today to celebrate the club's 125th anniversary.

He is also training with Wenger's first team as he looks to keep fit during the MLS off-season.

And Henry admits he watches most of Arsenal's games from his luxury apartment in Manhattan.

He added: "I can always watch Arsenal. It was hard at the beginning of the season but now I think they are on the right track.

"But I'm in pain when Arsenal lose. I can't take it well. I didn't like it when I was a player and it's worse now — at least when you're a player you can do something about it."

One key player for Arsenal is proving to be Mikel Arteta. The Spaniard has been in excellent form following his £10million deadline day move from Everton.

Had Arsenal not signed him, Wenger admitted: "We would have been in more trouble, that is for sure. He was a fantastic addition.

"We completed it at 9.45pm on August 31. For two days it was very uncertain. He has adjusted very well and he has the mental level to be at this club.

"We watched him many times before he got the cruciate injury. Then it took him a while to get back to his normal level. Now, he is back to normal.

"His attitude is outstanding, he is a winner, a fighter. People think he is a technical player but he is more because he is a team player who fights very hard for the team. He's a really good surprise for me.

"We are looking forward to this game against Everton.

"We have just come back from a convincing win at Wigan and we are in a position where we just want to collect points because the pace is dictated by the teams in front of us. To keep in touch with them it is important we win games.

"Yes, we are where we want to be — a team who is improving the levels of performances and confidence but there is still room for improvement."