Thierry Henry singles out one Arsenal star as best in the league 'by a mile'

That's the view of Arsenal legend and former striker Thierry Henry.

Henry spent 18 years playing against some of the English top flight's best ever defenders with the Gunners, including Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Chelsea's John Terry.

Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk and Manchester City's Ruben Dias and John Stones have fans of their respective clubs screaming that their defenders are the best, with them all winning the Premier League amongst other accolades in recent years.

But Henry insists it's actually one of Arsenal's is the best in the league - 22-year-old William Saliba.

Following Arsenal's dramatic 4-3 victory over Luton, Henry was asked by Amazon Prime if Saliba was the no.1 defender in the Premier League.

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"Right now, I think he is, by a mile," he said. "The way he can defend a one-v-one. The way he allows Arsenal to play higher and defend the 45-50 yards behind him is second to none.

"His speed, the way he recovers. Look at him and how he turns. He tries to recover the ball when he tackles, not to kick it in the stands. He tries to get it back, which is something important."

Former Arsenal manager Unai Emery signed Saliba from Saint-Etienne for £27m in 2019.

After a loan back to his former club, then Nice and then Marseille, the France international returned to the Emirates and has been a key player in Arteta's squad ever since.

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He's made 54 appearances for the Gunners now, scoring four times and providing five assists in that time, playing a key role in Arsenal's title push last season and this season too.

His form at Arsenal appears even more impressive when you consider he was brought in originally to play in midfield.

Henry believes Saliba should've been given his chance in Arsenal's first team much earlier, too. Despite that, he thinks the defender is now demonstrating to both the Gunners and the rest of the league just how good he is.

"I was working in France when he went on-loan to Marseille and I was actually surprised from where he came from before that we didn't keep him. I thought he was better than what we had," he said.

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"But he went on loan, he came back and he showed everyone that it was a mistake.

"Now he is one of the best defenders, if not the best defender in the league."

Saliba and Arsenal can go as many as five points clear of the top of the league if they beat Aston Villa at Villa Park this Saturday - however, the Gunners have been warned about how tough the clash against Villa could be.