Thursday, 2nd October, 2014
Arsenal legend Martin Keown believes it is too soon to say whether Danny Welbeck can emulate Thierry Henry with the Gunners, but he is sure the striker has hit the ground running quicker than the Frenchman did.
Henry, who joined Arsenal from Juventus in 1999 and remained with the Gunners until 2007, is the club's all-time leading goalscorer with 228 strikes to his name.
Welbeck, signed from Manchester United for £16m in the summer, has been compared to Henry due to the fact the Frenchman was not often played as a central striker before landing at the club, just as Welbeck was often deployed on the flank at Old Trafford.
The pair also have blistering pace to call upon.
Welbeck hit a hat-trick for Arsenal against Galatasaray in the Champions League last night and comparisons with Henry quickly flowed again.
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"They both arrived at 23 and Danny Welbeck has got going a lot quicker than Thierry Henry did. Whether he goes on to emulate what Thierry did is another matter", Keown told BBC Radio 5 live.
"But Arsenal have embraced him, [manager Arsene] Wenger loves him in that position.
"He's provided what Arsenal haven't had. This is an arena where he can launch his career", the former defended added.
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