Arsene Wenger has hailed Ian Wright’s impact at Arsenal and says he was “ready to die to score a goal”.

The legendary striker eclipsed Cliff Bastin to become the club’s record scorer on September 13, 1997 when he scored a hat-trick against Bolton Wanderers.

Wenger remembers the day well and says it was a great moment for Wright and every fan of the club.

“He chased that record,” the manager told Arsenal Player. “Like every striker he said, ‘I don’t care about the goals’, but he only thought about that.

“I was very happy for him because he was a highly dedicated and motivated player. He was ready to die to score a goal.

“He is a special story in our game as well. He was a guy who came to the top level very late and to achieve what he achieved is absolutely fantastic.

“On the day you could see that he was extremely happy when he scored the goal, but we were all with him. He will remain one of the great players of Arsenal’s history.”