New York Red Bulls striker Thierry Henry believes the press needs to get off the case of Juan Agudelo and simply let the youngster develop.
The 18-year old is being tipped for greatness by many but Henry fears that if too much pressure is placed on his teammate's shoulders then he may not be able to fulfill his enormous potential.
"I will keep on saying it; you guys need to leave him alone,'' Henry said. "He's still young. I went through the same thing.
"He plays, doesn't play; he should play, he shouldn't play, whatever. Now whatever Juan Agudelo is going to do is going to be really big anyway. The guy's a young kid; he has all the talent to be (special).
"Right now, let him work. I can tell you I see stuff in training from him that tells me he can be a great player; but let him grow, let him work out and be the player he can be.
"The expectation is really big in this country. Landon Donovan soon is going to retire, so you guys are thinking 'Who is going to be the next one?'
"Hopefully it is going to be him; but it can only be him if you let him grow.''
