Rico Henry

Rico Antonio Henry (born 8 July 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Premier League club Brentford. He is a product of the Walsall academy and represented England at U19 and U20 level.

Club Career

Walsall

After a spell with Cadbury Athletic, Henry joined Walsall at age 11 and progressed through the youth ranks to make his first non-competitive senior appearance for the club shortly after his 16th birthday, in a pre-season friendly against Leeds United in July 2013. One year later, he signed his first professional contract after impressing for the club's youth team. Henry received his maiden calls into the first team squad for two League One matches in September and October 2014 respectively, before making his competitive debut with a start in a Football League Trophy northern area semi-final shootout win over Tranmere Rovers on 9 December. He made his league debut four days later, playing the full 90 minutes of a 3–1 victory over Barnsley. Henry made eight further appearances during the 2014–15 season, but his progress was disrupted by a dislocated shoulder. He signed a two-year contract extension in April 2015 and was named as Walsall's Young Player of the Year.

Henry broke into the starting line-up on a full-time basis during the 2015–16 season. He had a successful season, making 44 appearances, scoring three goals, signing a new three-year contract and winning England youth international recognition. Walsall consistently challenged for promotion during the season and finished in third position to qualify for a place in the 2016 League One play-offs, but Henry's season ended with a 6–1 aggregate defeat to the eventually-promoted club Barnsley in the semi-finals. He was recognised for his performances during the season, winning the September 2015 Football League Young Player of the Month award, in addition to being named in the League One PFA Team of the Year and receiving a nomination for the Football League Young Player of the Year