Arsene Wenger confirms interest in Monaco youngster who he believes 'could be the next Thierry Henry'

Kylian Mbappe is fast attracting the attention of some of Europe’s top clubs having established a reputation for himself at Monaco over the last 18 months

Samuel Lovett
Thursday 02 February 2017 16:03 GMT
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Kylian Mbappe has risen to prominence at Monaco
Kylian Mbappe has risen to prominence at Monaco (Getty)

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed interest in Monaco youngster Kylian Mbappe – a player he believes “could be another Thierry Henry”.

Mbappe is fast attracting the attention of some of Europe’s top clubs having established a reputation for himself at Monaco over the last 18 months.

The 18-old-year, who made his senior debut at the Ligue 1 side two years ago, has already usurped Henry as Monaco’s youngest goalscorer after finding the back of the net last season.

Under the guidance of Leonardo Jardim, Mbappe has played a vital role in Monaco’s rise to prominence this season.

Unsurprisingly, the club have sought to hold onto their prized asset and successfully renewed the player’s contract last year.

Although Mbappe currently remains tied the Stade Louis II until 2019, this hasn’t stopped Wenger from voicing his interest in the “super talent”.

Speaking to the Ligue 1 show, the Arsenal boss revealed the club have been ‘following’ the France U19 international.

“He is not exactly Thierry Henry but it is true that he has similar qualities and the future and talent is similar,” Wenger declared.

“The potential is similar, after that if he has the same level of motivation, desire and intelligence that Thierry has, and the next two to three years will tell us that, then he can be very promising.

“The guys that have super talent are already playing at 18. Those who are not playing at 18 or 19 do not have that exceptional talent and he does play over here at the top level.

"He is a guy who is electric like Thierry was, can dribble, can pass and is efficient.

“We follow him, we know him very well, and he is developing well. He extended his contract with Monaco last season and so it’s Monaco who is going to decide his future. He could be another Thierry Henry."

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