Thierry Henry was full of praise for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery (17), who drove Les Parisiens to victory over AC Milan (3-0) in the UEFA Champions League by registering two assists and running the midfield.
Henry knows Zaïre-Emery well. The France U21 manager made the PSG midfielder captain of Les Bleuets earlier this season, despite being just 17 years old. Zaïre-Emery captained France to a comfortable 4-1 victory over Denmark in his first game with the armband with Henry stating that he gave the midfielder the responsibility to see “what he was made of.”
Henry was also full of praise for the midfielder after his performance against AC Milan. Zaïre-Emery assisted Kylian Mbappé’s opener before teeing up Kang-in Lee late in the second half to wrap up the three points. The Frenchman was awarded man-of-the-match, and Henry strongly believes that the midfielder has a bright future.
“The way Warren Zaïre-Emery is playing, it is normal to run the show at just 17 years old. He was the only one that held his ground at St James’ Park. He’s been magnificent […] The sky is the limit. I have never seen a player that young being so mature. Usually, you have youngsters that play as forwards that make the difference. But when you play in midfield for a team like PSG, you need to readjust. It is rare to see such a young player in that position,” said Henry on CBS Sports Golazo.
He added, “I gave him the armband because I wanted to see the next thing. I know that physically, he is strong, he can run, he can see a pass, he can stop a counter. I want to know if he can also stop a player by talking. I gave him the armband to know if he could direct the team and talk. That was my way of seeing if he could do that, and trust me, he can. This guy has no limits.”
Speaking earlier this month, Didier Deschamps said that he was tracking the “interesting” Zaïre-Emery, adding that if he maintained his level of performance, he would become a “serious contender” for a spot in France’s midfield. Against AC Milan, the PSG academy product certainly stated his case.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
