Arsenal: Thierry Henry's Greatest Lesson for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

It seems fitting that, on a day in which 18-year-old Arsenal and England winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made his full debut in his national colors, The Telegraph's Henry Winter would bring to the light a story from the youngster's full Premier League debut, some four months past.

That occasion had come on Jan. 22, when the Gunners were preparing to face Manchester United in a crucial Premier League match (aren't they all?) at the Emirates.

Arsenal had endured a terrible month up to that point, having lost Premiership matches to Fulham and Swansea City. The lone ray of light (quite radiant at that) amid the deepening winter doom and gloom had been Thierry Henry's winner against Leeds United in the FA Cup.

And it was Henry, brought back to the club he'd starred at for eight years (1999-2007) for a second spell/curtain call/whatever you want to call it, who would play a key (if not widely celebrated) role in that Manchester United match.

Henry knew something about playing against the world's best, which he'd done frequently ever since emerging from World Cup '98 with a winners medal and the distinction of having led his country in scoring. You're unlikely to find a more proven campaigner in world football. Put quite simply, Henry has won nearly every major piece of silverware in the game.

That kind of experience allows a special blend of wisdom that can then be imparted—especially to youngsters making debuts in a heated inferno of a match with all of England (and much of the rest of the world) watching.

Oxlade-Chamberlain was hardly green behind the ears—he'd first featured for Arsenal back in August, against Manchester United, in that dastardly 8-2 mauling—and had already scored in the Carling Cup and Champions League, earning six starts in various league competitions.

But this was the Sunday featured EPL match, and this was United. And this was a full league debut. The stakes seemed a bit higher.

The Ox has never been one to come across as nervy, but he must have had some butterflies fluttering around before that one. It's human nature.

And so it was that one Arsenal legend took aside one of the club's most brilliant talents before the match and imparted some choice words of wisdom, recalled through an incredible scoop from Winter.

"You have a bit extra, so try to run at people," Henry told Oxlade-Chamberlain. "Don't waste today. Take people on, show the world what you can do, work hard, work back."

Oxlade-Chamberlain took the advice to heart, putting in one of his better performances of the season.

Despite falling to United 2-1, Arsenal could count themselves somewhat unlucky for not earning a point from the proceedings, which had looked like a feasible outcome after their teenage wunderkind provided Robin van Persie with a deft assist for the equalizing goal.

The assist was Henry's advice put to practice, in a devastating yet wondrous effect that combined all the best qualities of the French striker during his prime.

The immediate control, the searing pace, the wonderful vision while gliding into the middle of the pitch after starting out on the left. It was the perfect encapsulation, and a stirring one at that, of the vast potential Oxlade-Chamberlain possesses.

It was also a heartening reassurance that the young man is willing to listen to those with more experience than he. It's just one of the reasons he's been able to put that vast potential into practice.

As Winter duly noted, Oxlade-Chamberlain "remains a jewel requiring more polishing, but what marks him out, along with his physical and technical gifts, is his hunger to learn."

Henry, who made a career out of learning on the fly, would be proud.