Jamie Carragher has criticised fans for putting Arsenal legend Thierry Henry on the left wing as they select their all-time Premier League XIs.
The debate over who does and doesn't make the greatest line-up in the division's history has been reignited as the Premier League will celebrate its 30th birthday on Monday. The likes of John Terry, Alan Shearer and Henry are regarded by many as shoo-ins for spots in the XI, but there is no set formation for supporters making their selections.
This has irked Liverpool hero Carragher, who cannot understand why Henry is being fielded on the left wing in various teams he has seen on social media. Although he played on the flank as a youngster with Monaco and Juventus, the fabled Frenchman was very much a centre-forward throughout his glittering eight-year stint with the Gunners between 1999 and 2007.
During that time, Henry scored 226 goals in all competitions, winning two Premier League titles and the FA Cup twice. He would later seal an emotional return to North London by way of a short-term loan from New York Red Bulls in 2012, during which he added a further two goals to his club-record tally for the Gunners.
Pointing out Henry hardly ever played out wide during his famed Premier League career, Carragher took to Twitter with an angry emoji and wrote: "People picking their best team from 30yrs @premierleague stop putting Thierry Henry left wing, he played centre forward."
Manchester United icon Gary Neville saw this tweet as an opportunity to poke fun at regular co-pundit Carragher, who has never shied away from the fact he struggled when up against Henry. Attaching a YouTube video entitled 'Thierry Henry destroying Jamie Carragher', Neville wrote: "I can see why fans are confused though. He [Henry] likes that left side."
Carragher previously admitted he was "terrified" of playing against Henry and, intriguingly, explained it was so tricky to defend against the World Cup winner because he was always drifting in from the "left channel". Discussing Henry on Sky Sports in 2017, he said: "The worst position to play against Thierry Henry was right-back, not centre-back, because he would always be running into that left channel."
Carragher added: "I think if you'd asked me, 'What was the most difficult position - not just for me, for anyone, any player - that you wouldn't want to go back to', it was being a right full-back against that Arsenal team of 2002 to 2004. The movement, the pace, things would be happening that quickly you couldn't react to the first thing."
