Arsenal will give a fitness test to Thierry Henry ahead of Sunday's game against Sunderland to check on the hamstring injury sustained in the Champions League tie at Auxerre.

Henry is hoping to be able to start the game at Highbury, while Fredrik Ljungberg is also looking to return after missing out in midweek due to a migraine.

Ray Parlour (hamstring), Dennis Bergkamp (Achilles) and Martin Keown (hamstring) are still on the sidelines, while Robert Pires and Giovanni van Bronckhorst are not yet ready to return from long-term injuries.

Arsene Wenger has warned the rest of Europe Henry is not yet at his peak - and insisted the Arsenal striker was still short of the "golden age" of his career.

"He will get much better though as he wants to be better. He's intelligent and ambitious, and those two qualities combined always make you improve in life. That would make him an even greater player. Between 25 and 30 is the golden age for a striker. I like Thierry's game as he's more than a goalscorer. He finished top scorer in the league last year but he's like every player that I've liked in the history of the game - he has something more. He's a provider, a team player and just a great player."

Wenger believes the making of Henry's career was not only his mental strength to cope with rejection at Juventus - "like a first love disappointment" - but in his ability to be transformed from a winger into a striker at Highbury.

Sunderland recall goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen and winger Matt Piper to the squad for Sunday's game at Highbury.

Both were rested for the seven-goal Worthington Cup victory at Cambridge in midweek but manager Peter Reid is again without the injured Michael Gray, Kevin Phillips, Emerson Thome, Stephen Wright, Jason McAteer and Joachim Bjorklund.

Reid has expressed his delight that Tore Andre Flo is showing signs of justifying the club's record outlay in the search to end a goal famine that could still cost him his job in the continued absence of Kevin Phillips.

"It's taken Tore Andre time to settle but we have certainly seen his ability at Cambridge," said Reid. "His control and holding the ball up was excellent. This will be a game he will be really looking forward to. He's going back to London for the first time and he will be up for it. He's a quality player and sometimes it takes some players longer than others to settle."

Flo's strike partner Marcus Stewart, who also scored twice in midweek, could be relegated to the substitutes' bench to make way for Paul Thirlwell to return to a five-man midfield for a game Reid acknowledges will be tough to say the least.

"I was in my office last Saturday morning before the Aston Villa game and I watched Arsenal's match at Leeds on the television," he said.

"I ended up on my feet on at least three occasions clapping the way Arsenal played. They were that exciting, so I think that tells you everything about the task we have got. But it's still 11 against 11 and nobody gives us a chance. I was speaking to Bolton manager Sam Allardyce recently and he said they got turned over in the last minute after putting on a really good performance with 10 men so if you're organised, work hard and defend well, you've got a chance. But make no mistake, Arsenal are very strong at the moment. I'm not sure what team Mr Wenger will put out but he has that many options, so many quality players with pace and power, it's going to be very difficult."

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