Former Arsenal star Thierry Henry has revealed that Gunners legend Tony Adams was a nightmare to train against, but admitted it made him a much better player in the long term.
The Frenchman arrived at the club in 1999, and was immediately taken under the wing of the then Arsenal skipper Adams, who had just seen his side win the league and cupdouble under new manager Arsene Wenger, and was known for giving tough love to the new recruits in training.
And writing inThe Sun, the now Sky Sports pundit and Belgium assistant manager commended the towering defender for making him the player he was at the club by preparing him for the physicality of the Premier League.
"What helped me was that in training my Arsenal team-mates let me know it was a tough league," said Arsenal's record goalscorer.
"They played the same way there as they would on a Saturday, so I was on the end of some strong tackles.
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"They let me know what it was about. It was old-school!If a player did that now the manager would send him inside.
"But I had to take it on the chin. If you don't, you're in trouble. If you show a weakness, opponents will exploit it.
"And I needed it in training because it was what I was going to get at the weekend. If Tony Adams let me get the ball, nice and easy, and turn and do my thing, how was I going to progress?
"You show you can handle it, get better at taking the ball in tight situations, beat people and you start to get respect. Then you can really do your stuff."