Eddie Howe Admits Arsenal Legend Gave the Cherries 'Excellent' Advice Ahead of Gunners Clash

Thierry Henry visited the Bournemouth training ground just days before his former team, Arsenal, travel to the Vitality Stadium to take on Eddie Howe's side.

Thierry Henry visited the Bournemouth training ground just days before his former team, Arsenal, travel to the Vitality Stadium to take on Eddie Howe's side.

The 40-year-old was on the south coast to check up on his compatriot Lys Mousset, with the youngster struggling to light up the Premier League following his €6.5m move from Le Havre in 2016.

However, Henry also spent some time with the rest of Bournemouth's first-team, giving the squad some "excellent" advice ahead of their match against Arsenal on Sunday.

Kevin Friend has been appointed as the referee for Sundays away match against Bournemouth.

— Arsenal Fixture News (@AFCFixtureNews) January 11, 2018

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"We got Thierry in to talk to the players as we do from time to time with various people, not just footballers," Howe told the Mirror.

"Thierry was excellent, he spoke at length to the players about his career and how he was so successful. It was a really beneficial talk.

"It was a combination of a lot of things, definitely the mental side, his mental strength and his desire to be the best.

"There were a lot of things in there and if it is just one thing a player finds inspiring then it is beneficial. It was interesting to see how the players reacted to what he said and hopefully they took something away, not just for now but for the future."

Arsenal fans will be hoping that their former striker didn't give Bournemouth to much of a confidence boost ahead of their trip to the south coast on Sunday, with most supporters having mixed emotions about their last visit to the Vitality Stadium that ended in a frantic 3-3 draw.