Wenger: Henry is unique

Arsene Wenger hailed Thierry Henry as unique as the Frenchman stood on the brink of scoring his 100th Premiership goal ahead of tonight's clash against Southampton.

Henry has already notched up 99 league goals in just 159 games, 15 of them as a substitute, since his arrival in English football in August 1999.

And he has every chance of posting his century when Southampton visit Highbury tonight, with Jose Reyes set to partner him up front in the absence of Dennis Bergkamp.

Wenger declared: 'It's a sign of a great player. What is remarkable though is that Thierry doesn't have the game of a goalscorer.

'If I told you that a guy had scored 99 goals in 159 games, you'd think that he would wait for every chance in the box and never cross the ball. But he's completely different.

'He drifts out wide and doesn't just play inside the box. It's unconventional.

'Is there another player like him in the world? I don't think so. He's as much a provider as a goalscorer and he doesn't just score tap-ins.'

Asked to compare Henry to Dutch legend Johan Cruyff, Wenger added: 'All the great players can take people on and give a final ball. You didn't really know where someone like Johan Cruyff played.'