Wenger: Thierry is right for 10 years

Arsene Wenger said today that he believes Thierry Henry could carry on playing for another 10 years.

The Arsenal manager said that the 26-year-old Frenchman, who finished runner-up to Zinedine Zidane in FIFA's World Player of the Year vote yesterday, could extend his career because of his exemplary professional attitude.

Wenger said: "The ones who last to 35 or 36 are the ones who have a clean life before 30. Thierry can carry on a long time as long as he has good health and no major injuries. If a player has outstanding physical qualities, like a lot of pace, then even if he loses a bit after 30, he is still ahead of the rest."

Henry, who played under Wenger at Monaco, revealed that it was a chance meeting on a plane in 1999 that led to him leaving Juventus. On the journey he talked over his future with the Arsenal manager.

Speaking after the FIFA award ceremony in Basel, Henry said: "Things did not work out for me at Juventus and I met Arsene on a plane and told him I wanted to play for him once more.

"I told Juve the same thing. Once I get something in my mind, it's difficult to get it out of my mind.