Arsenal’s 18-year-old forward Theo Walcott wants to be known as his own man and not compared to former team-mate and France striker Thierry Henry, he said Thursday.

The England international was compared to the Barcelona striker by the English press after he scored twice in Arsenal’s 7-0 demolition of Slavia Prague in the Champions League match on Tuesday.

“It was brilliant to train with him every day and take bits out of his game. But I’m my own player,” Walcott told the club website.

“People are always going to compare me to Thierry - the way I run and everything - but as I keep saying I will be my own player.”

Henry was Walcott’s idol and the young player has the same speed and technical skills as his mentor.

Walcott, like Henry, also began as a winger and became a striker and both played international football as teenagers, Henry 18 and Walcott 17.

“Everyone was disappointed when he left but in a way we have sort of forgotten about him at the moment with us doing so well,” Walcott said.

“But he is doing brilliant at Barcelona and I wish him all the best.”

Source:Soccer News