Arsenal legend Henry admits concern for Chelsea summer signing

17 Nov 2023 13:33 GMT
3 min read

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has voiced his concern over Lesley Ugochukwu’s lack of game time following his summer move from Stade Rennais to Chelsea.

The former Gunners striker is currently France’s U21 manager and has selected Ugochukwu in his squad for the November international break.

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France U21 are due to face Austria and South Korea before club football returns next weekend, with the latter a friendly and the former an U21 European Championship qualification game.

However, Henry is not best pleased with Ugochukwu’s involvement at Stamford Bridge since his €27 million summer switch.

The young French midfielder has featured in 11 games for the Blues this campaign, but has mustered just 140 minutes of Premier League action, with only one start (vs Bournemouth).

This has not resonated well with France U21 boss Henry, who has a similar concern with regards to Lyon midfielder Johann Lepenant, another Frenchman who has struggled for minutes this campaign.

What has Henry said?

In a press conference ahead of France U21’s clash against Austria on Friday, Henry admitted: “Johann’s situation is increasingly worrying,” in quotes carried by The Metro.

“For us, he continues to be more than good and we’ll continue to help him on a physical level whilst he’s on international duty, but it’s up to him and his entourage to solve the problem with Lyon,” he continued.

“The problem is the same with Lesley [Ugochukwu]. Even if the situation is different at Chelsea because in front of him there are players like Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.

“But he’s not playing, and nowadays, these players don’t even play with the reserve side to keep their rhythm.

“At the start of the season, you can benefit from the physical conditioning of the pre-season but the benefits fade. I hope he can continue to keep on course physically.”