Thierry Henry has confirmed he will be sidelined for at least
three months after picking up a serious groin muscle strain in
Arsenal's Champions League exit to PSV Eindhoven last week.
However the Frenchman moved to dispel suggestions that his
mitigated season with the Gunners will prompt him to look elsewhere
and pledged his future to the club.
Arsenal were the beaten finalists in Europe's premier club
competition last year, and this season, having lost all chance of
winning the Premiership, also lost the League Cup final to
Chelsea.
Those kind of setbacks can usually give top level players the
spur to move on to a club which has a better chance of triumphing
at home or abroad.
But Henry is adamant he is staying at the Emirates Stadium.
"For the umpteenth time - and I'm starting to get sick of saying
the same thing every year - there is nothing, at least from my
part, that will make me leave Arsenal.
"I love the club and will always give my all for Arsenal. This
season I've played with only half of my capacities. But I will keep
on fighting for the fans, for my teammates, and for Arsene
(Wenger).
"I be at Arsenal till I finish my career, as long as they want
me here."
Henry, speaking in yesterday's L'Equipe newspaper, admitted he
was finding it hard coping with sitting around and not training or
playing.
But he knows he will have to get used to the idea of resting at
least until the end of the season before even thinking about
kicking a ball again for either Arsenal or France.
"It's not easy. When you know that the season is more or less
over, you give up," he said.
"It's not like I have three weeks on the sidelines before coming
back to competition."
(China Daily via AFP March 14, 2007)