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By Simon Evans

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry says he cannot get the club out of his system and would relish a return to north London.

Henry, now playing in Major League Soccer (MLS) with the New York Red Bulls, is Arsenal’s all-time leading scorer with 226 goals but left the club for Barcelona in 2007 and moved to the U.S. after three seasons in Spain.

“I love the club. Unfortunately we know I had to leave the club, for reasons I have explained many times, but although I left Arsenal you never really leave Arsenal,” he told Reuters in an interview.

“Whenever I go back I feel like I have gone home, it’s a big family and I became a fan of the club.

“I knew what it was like to beat Manchester United, I knew what it meant to the fans when we were playing against Tottenham, I knew all that, you don’t get that from one or two years, you need to live and breathe Arsenal to understand that.”

Henry trained with Arsenal, who lost to Birmingham City in Sunday’s League Cup final, during the U.S. off-season in January and maintains a close friendship with manager Arsene Wenger.

Arsenal were expected to win a first trophy since 2005 on Sunday, only to stumble against Birmingham, but Henry says Wenger would be a tough act to follow when the Frenchman, the club’s manager since 1996, eventually moves on.

However, he would like his name to be in the frame.

“It goes without saying, I would love to go back there. I hope one day I can go back, I love that club and I just want to give as much as possible to this club, after what that club gave me,” Henry, who missed Arsenal’s FA Cup win over Manchester United six years ago because of injury, said.

“I know that the day Arsene leaves is going to be a difficult one, I don’t know who can replace him. That is going to be hard. Not only the winning part of it but what he was and what he is for the club and the way he transformed the club.

“Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira amd Tony Adams were all part of it and I am sure if you ask them if they would like to come back and do something with the club they would all tell you yes. But if one day, they want me, I have joked if I go back to be the kit man or the water boy, I don’t mind, I just want to be back one day. When I don’t know— I just want to be back.”

ATTACKING MENTALITY

While the silverware has dried up, Henry said Wenger’s legacy would be about stylish football as much as trophies.

“If you talk to any Arsenal fan, or even non-Arsenal fan, they will tell you they will watch Arsenal because they know they are going to see a football game,” he said. “No disrespect to other clubs but they will enjoy watching the game.

“That is what Johan Cruyff did for Barcelona too—he brought that attacking mentality, that Dutch way, playing with wingers, playing the ball on the ground and Arsene did the same.

“To do that you have also to give credit to the club because you need your manager to be there for a long time, you can’t have a manager for five years and expect him to put his identity on the club.

“Arsene did that, he won but the club was also intelligent enough to see what he was doing and give him time to build something and now everybody talks about the ‘Arsenal way’ of playing the game and that is really because of him.”

One player who has impressed Henry with his ability to play that way this season is 19-year-old midfielder Jack Wilshere.

“I wouldn’t say I was surprised because I knew the guy was very talented but I will say that he looks more mature than I thought he would look at this stage,” Henry said.

“He is good on the ball and he isn’t scared to put his foot in. He has great vision on the ball, he is an Arsenal player — that means, he wants to play with short passes, great vision. What a great thing for some of the guys in England that he is English—that is a great boost for them.”

(Editing by Martyn Herman; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Labels: Arsenal, Family, Henry, return, Reuters, still, yearns

Liverpool owner John W Henry has hailed boss Kenny Dalglish and the transformation that the club has undergone since his appointment as caretaker boss last month.

The Reds have won four games on the bounce and now lie in sixth place, with Europe a now very real possibility following the victory over Chelsea on Sunday.

Henry believes that the change in style and philosophy at the club under Dalglish are more in keeping with the club's ideals than under the previous management of Roy Hodgson, and that is why he and the board decided to part ways with the Fulham manager after a dreadful spell of results.

"The philosophy we were playing under didn't seem to suit the club and we knew we had to make a change," said Henry in an interview with Fox Sports Soccer.

"We knew we wanted to change the type of football we were playing, we wanted to move to a much more positive pass-and-move philosophy.

"We also knew we wanted to have a caretaker so to speak, we didn't want to be forced into an immediate decision.

"I talked with Kenny about it and said we needed someone to come in for six months and stabilize the club on the field and the club in general."

The American owner also discussed the importance of the bond between the fans and the manager, who not only excelled as a player before winning honors as a manager, but helped the club in the wake of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 that claimed the lives of 96 supporters.

"I can't imagine how anyone can be more beloved by fans, not just for what he accomplished on the field but off the field through some very difficult times for the club and supporters," Henry said.

"I know for a long time now he has wanted to be in this position so it is a great thing for the club, for Kenny, for us."

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Labels: Bringing, Dalglish, Goalcom, Henry, Kenny, Liverpool, Owner, PassAndMove, Philosophy, Praises

After buying the club in October, Henry said he would weigh up both options.

But the fervent atmosphere at Liverpool's current home appears to have swayed his thinking.

"The Kop is unrivalled," said Henry. "The atmosphere, I was really surprised because we've heard so much about needing a new stadium."

Liverpool have long been planning to build a 60,000-seater stadium at Stanley Park, adjacent to the 45,000-capacity Anfield, but work has yet to begin because of problems with funding under previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

Henry faced the same dilemma when he took over the Boston Red Sox in 2002, eventually opting to refurbish the baseball team's historic Fenway Park home.

Henry told Fox Soccer Channel: "We were surprised at how beautiful Anfield was both viewing it as an empty stadium and then with the first game.

"It would be hard to replicate that feeling anywhere else."

Henry was talking at the end of a busy week for Liverpool, in which striker Fernando Torres departed to Chelsea for £50m and was replaced at a combined cost of £57.7m by Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez, who scored on his debut against Stoke on Wednesday.

Henry explained why he sanctioned the sale of the Torres for a British record fee.

"One of things that we talked about from the very beginning was how important it was that everyone was on the same page. No player is bigger than the club," Henry said.

"We expect players to want to be here. If they don't want to be part of Liverpool Football Club then we should do everything we can to facilitate them going elsewhere."

The victory over Stoke was Liverpool's third in succession, boosting caretaker manager Kenny Dalglish's hopes of getting the job on a full-time basis.

Henry admitted the Scot had made an impressive start to his second reign at the club.

"It's still early but in retrospect you could not have made a better choice," said Henry.

"I know he, for a long time now, has wanted to be in this position, so it's a great thing for the club, for Kenny and for us."

Labels: Anfield, Henry, hints, Liverpool, Sport