Arsenal striker Thierry Henry is out for the season due to groin and muscle injuries, the club confirmed on Friday. The 29-year-old Frenchman tore muscles during Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with PSV Eindhoven as the Gunners bowed out of the Champions League, the only remaining competition which it had a chance of winning. The Arsenal captain has had a problem all season with his sciatic nerve, the longest nerve in the body that runs down either side of the leg. More commonly referred to as “sciatica,” treatment options for a compressed sciatic nerve vary from person to person and the recovery period can be long.
Knocked out of each of its cup competitions and 20 points adrift of league leader Man United, the Gunners have little left to play for besides a slot in the Champions League next season. Arsenal is fourth in the English Premiership, five points ahead of fifth-place Bolton, with two games in hand. Henry played 31 games and scored 14 goals in all competitions this year. Said Manager Arsene Wenger: “We are confident that he will be ready for the start of next season.”