Henry is reportedly set to rejoin Arsenal on loan from New York Red Bulls in January and it will be his third stint as a player with Arsene Wenger's side.
However, Usmanov wants the striker to have an influence at Arsenal once he retires from playing and does not want to see Henry follow the same path as his old team-mate Patrick Vieira.
Former Gunners captain Vieira is the football development executive at Manchester City and Usmanov feels it is important Henry is part of Arsenal's long-term future.
"I don't have any powers in terms of decisions at the club but there are a few players with whom I am in contact, including Thierry Henry," said Usmanov.
"Thierry should be involved at the club but not as a player. He has another role to play, a more important role.
"Look at Patrick Vieira at Manchester City. He is also a symbol of Arsenal but he is helping another club. We have to avoid that with Thierry."
Meanwhile, Santi Cazorla is confident Arsenal can still enjoy a positive season, despite the embarrassing Capital One Cup defeat by Bradford City in midweek and trailing Premier League leaders Manchester United by 15 points.
Cazorla said: "I am confident that the best moments for Arsenal this season are still to come.
"Nobody believed we would get eliminated against Bradford, but in football you get these upsets. We were superior to our opponents but we did not get any success.
"Our problem is inconsistency in matches.
"We need to show maturity and confidence to get results. The lack of points are important because we want to fight for the title."
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