Manchester United and Arsenal shared a very fierce rivalry many years ago.
Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger produced a few incredible battles for the better part of a decade, and people still talk about them to this day.
United have enjoyed more success against Arsenal in the history of the Premier League, but the Gunners did hurt them a few times during the first half of Wenger’s career at Arsenal.
That led to Manchester United players getting a bit too physical with some of their Arsenal counterparts.
Gary Neville says Manchester United players ‘had to kick’ Arsenal star Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry is arguably the greatest player in the history of the Premier League.
The legendary Frenchman was the reason why many defenders couldn’t sleep the night before. He tormented them during games and even made a few of them look silly.
Manchester United knew that they had to keep Henry quiet during games to have a better chance of winning back in the day.
The Red Devils tried everything, including kicking him.
That’s according to Gary Neville himself, who has admitted that he and his teammates ‘had to kick’ the Frenchman whenever Manchester United played Arsenal.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Neville told Henry: “We had to kick you, Thierry, to be honest with you. It’s a confession, it’s a confession.”
Henry can be seen laughing after Neville admitted that.
Thierry Henry’s record against Manchester United
Henry wasn’t the only Arsenal man Manchester United players tried to kick, but he was the one they were desperate to stop.
The Frenchman did cause Ferguson’s side a few problems, but the Red Devils got the better of him too.
Games Wins Draws Losses Goals Assists
Thierry Henry vs Manchester United 23 6 8 9 9 4
Henry suffered more defeats as a player against Manchester United than against any other club throughout his illustrious career.
But, the Frenchman had the last laugh as in his final meeting against the Red Devils, he started and played 72 minutes to help Barcelona beat Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final.