Conor Henderson's 2 Goals Power Arsenal Under-21s to Victory over Bolton

Arsene Wenger has always held midfielder Conor Henderson in high regard—no matter his age and no matter the competition.

It was this sort of confidence that convinced Wenger to name Henderson—all 17 years of him—in the first-team squad that traveled to Bolton on April 24, 2009—a match that had implications on the title. Such was his confidence in the player.

While the English-born Irish midfielder did not feature in that 2-1 loss—one in a series of poor results that saw the Gunners' title charge falter that season—it was an incredible honor in its own right just to be considered.

The youngster continued his development in the next couple years and made his debut at the senior level in early March 2011, coming on as a substitute in a 5-0 win against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup.

"I expect (Henderson) to be a future player of the first team here," Wenger told the club's official site after the game.

The Irishman had already shown remarkable resilience in his nascent career, coming back from a nasty ACL tear in his left knee.

His inclusion in the Bolton squad perhaps sealed his recovery and must have impressed upon Wenger the reserves of patience and perseverance that he possessed.

As Wenger said recently about Jack Wilshere, who has endured more than a year's worth of rehab following an ankle injury suffered in the Emirates Cup in July of last year, facing an extended spell on the sideline can be immensely difficult task for a youngster.

Wenger included him in the 27-man squad that traveled to Austria for preseason camp ahead of the 2011-12 season, and with the imminent departures of Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas set to deplete the midfielding ranks, Henderson might have fancied his chances to enjoy an increased role with the club that season.

Those hopes were quickly dashed during the club's friendly against FC Cologne, where Henderson again damaged the anterior cruciate ligaments in his knee, the severity of which would keep him on the sidelines until March 2012. Another tricky leg plant, another twist of the knee—a terrible omen for a player of his age.

Emmanuel Frimpong, another highly-rated Arsenal youngster, has also had frequent problems with a similar knee injury.

Nevertheless, Henderson endured the torpor of rehab once again and this time, realized that his experience can serve as an aid for other Arsenal youngsters facing their first extended spells on the sidelines.

He helped Zak Ansah, then 17, cope with a serious knee problem, telling the official site that it was hugely important to impress upon Ansah the benefits of staying positive during the ordeal. With both eyes fixed upon the final day of recovery and the joy that would come from playing again, the rehabilitation might be made that much more manageable.

Henderson knew first-hand, after all, just what it felt like to get back out onto the pitch.

"I felt relief, happiness, everything you could imagine to be playing again," he told the official site after making his return to the reserves last year. The frustration was gone, it was a very good feeling." 

He would make just the one appearance before the campaign was done—against Newcastle—but considering all he'd dealt with, it was quite the symbolic victory.

Henderson has not suffered a recurrence of the injury since and professes to be pain-free.

Superb signs and after featuring in three of the reserves' four preseason games in July, he was named to the starting lineup for the season opener against Bolton in the new Under-21 league.

The young Gunners were thrown onto the back foot early, reduced to 10 men after keeper Damien Martinez was sent off after felling Chris Lester for a penalty, which Adam Blakeman would convert to make it 1-0.

Arsenal would fire back to a convincing 3-1 victory, with Henderson's cultured left foot a major reason for the resurgence.

The midfielder nearly picked out Ignasi Miquel, with a terrific free kick in the 42nd minute, and in the second half, he would twice add his name to the score sheet.

The first came from a bending free kick from 20 yards out (62'), before Henderson rounded off the scoring with a well-taken penalty seven minutes later.

So long one of the crown jewels of the organization, Arsenal's youth ranks are looking as strong as ever this season.

The win against Bolton will have done the youngsters a world of good, particularly considering the manner in which they were forced to come back.

Henderson was a stalwart and will have (once again) captured the attention of Wenger, who will no doubt be looking for youngsters to populate his first-team sheets for the early rounds of the Capital One and FA Cups that Arsenal are due to begin playing in September.

"(Henderson) has recovered from that and I believe he is a very good player," Wenger had told the official site after Henderson returned from the knee injury last March. "Hopefully he will show that now in the coming months, especially in pre-season this year."

The manager remains a firm belief in Henderson's potential, and it seems likely he'll play some part with the first team this season.

"You could see technically and physically he is at the level of Arsenal Football Club," Wenger said.
 
“He is a boy who has been out for a long time with a cruciate [injury]. I have taken him to a pre-season camp and he had done extremely well. Unfortunately he got injured but he is now coming back."

For now, it's a comeback that will fly somewhat beneath the surface, lest you follow the reserves.

But if you're in the London area, considering that tickets to the Under-21 games at the Emirates cost just £4, and bestow upon you the opportunity to catch some of the brightest young talents currently in England, it might be well worth the trip.