By Chris Harris in New York

"I feel like a different man when I wear that shirt."

Thierry Henry may be a New York Red Bulls player these days but his affinity for Arsenal remains, and the Gunners legend made that clear when he faced the media ahead of Saturday's reunion with his old club.

Henry's chief concern is MLS points but, after two spells, one stint as captain, 377 games, 228 goals and countless happy memories, it's obvious what Arsenal represents to the Frenchman.

"Wearing an Arsenal shirt was the most important thing and it feels unbelievable" Thierry Henry

"Wearing the shirt was a privilege for me," he said. "I understood that when I left and when I came back to play in those seven or eight games. Wearing an Arsenal shirt was the most important thing and it feels unbelievable.

"This is going to sound weird but [facing Arsenal this weekend] will be like being in training, because I have trained with them in the off-season.

"The thing I am happy about is for the US fans to be able to see Arsenal, and for some of the kids to be able to play against them, because some of our guys were not here yet when we played Arsenal at the Emirates Cup.

"I think it will be great for them to play against a team like Arsenal Football Club."

The World Cup has given opportunities to some of Arsenal's younger prospects to take part in this trip to the United States. Among them is Gedion Zelalem, who spent seven of his 17 years in America before he was spotted by the Gunners.

"Everybody knows him," said Henry. "[He is] quality. Good on the ball, great vision. Everyone is talking about him.

"It is not easy to break into the first team at Arsenal but certainly he has the quality" Henry on Zelalem

"It is not easy to break into the first team at Arsenal but certainly he has the quality and the right boss to make sure that he can do it. Hopefully for us as Arsenal fans he can perform and become a great player.

"Arsenal have a lot of good players, young players in the squad coming through. You will see them on Saturday. Everyone expects the big names but there are a lot of young and good players that you don’t see during the year because sometimes they go out on loan to get some minutes.

"But I can tell you they have a lot of quality in that squad. Hopefully we won't see too much of that on Saturday, but it is good for the club."