Thierry Henry reveals why he is in awe of Mikel Arteta as Arsenal priority clear

Arsenal face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final, but Thierry Henry still believes the big one for his former team is winning the Premier League this season

Thierry Henry still believes Arsenal should prioritise the Premier League ahead of this weekend's Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.

The former Monaco and Montreal Impact coach also believes you have to respect the job Mikel Arteta has done, as, from his experience on the sideline, it is not easy. Henry lasted barely three months in his first role and just spent a single season in Major League Soccer before stepping down for family reasons.

He also coached the France under-21s and their men's Olympic team. However, he resigned after a year, having lost the gold medal match to Spain.

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Henry spoke about Arteta and Arsenal's priorities during an appearance on Monday Night Football. He said on Sky Sports: "Because of the seven years and the trust, at one point, I'm sure Mikel will tell you he wants to give something back and show why you could trust him.

"He has an opportunity to do that, obviously, at the weekend. But for me, the big one is the league.

"It gives you a different feeling. You can attract different players; people might think that they're going to come here and win the league. I'm not going to talk about 'it's done'.

"I don't get carried away. I don't go overboard, like I don't go under it, but you have to respect what this man is doing. A lot of people are talking at the moment, I don't even know if they won the league as a player or as a coach, so it's easy to speak.

"I've been a coach for one second, it's not an easy one. They backed him up, and I'm sure he wants to give something back."

Henry also defended Arteta's approach and the way Arsenal play. He said: "I don't have to like it as an Arsenal fan, but I surely respect it.

"After 22 years, I'm not saying that we're going to win the league, but no matter how they're going to do it, I'm going to respect it. It doesn't matter what I like, it doesn't matter what my mum likes, or what my dad likes.

"We asked Mikel Arteta to find a way, and he did. It's as simple as that. I want to win the league; it's been 22 years.

"For a very long time, Arsenal have been accused of being boys. Not being able to keep a lead, getting bullied. Can they win ugly? That's exactly what the team is doing and mastering that."