Pranav Nair
Thierry Henry admits Arsenal were afraid of Manchester United star Paul Scholes
According to Sky Sports (h/t Manchester Evening News), Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has name-dropped Paul Scholes as the Manchester United player that the Gunners feared.
The Gunners and the Red Devils were arch-rivals in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The teams faced each other numerous times, with the winner usually coming out on top at the end of season honours.
Choosing his pick of players to be inducted alongside him into the Premier League hall of fame, Henry showed little hesitation in going for Scholes.
“We were scared of him. I’m not saying we weren’t scared of the others but him first and foremost.”
“Listen, when we used to play Man United, and you guys know the team they had, how great they were, every time we played them, we wanted to stop him.”
Having played in some great Arsenal teams and also the 1998 French World Cup-winning side, Henry has a good idea of what makes top players tick.
The very fact that he picked Scholes shows the importance that the Englishman had in a United side packed with stars. The fact that he stood out is a testament to his ability.
“Let’s stop him’ – if you stop him, you stop a lot of Man United and that speaks volumes about that because they had a great team.”
A reputation well earned!
Steven Gerrard is undoubtedly a great player and is a worthy inductee into the hall of fame, whenever that happens. But the very fact that Henry believes Scholes should precede the Liverpool legend for a place on the pantheon is significant.
The Ginger Prince wasn’t the most prolific scorer nor the best assist-getter. However, his set of skills amplified a United side that was not lacking in talent.
Few who have seen Scholes in action will argue against Henry’s assessment.
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A one-club player, Scholes made 710 appearances for the club in a career spanning almost two decades. During this time, he scored 152 goals and assisted 73 more. (h/t Transfermarkt)
