Henry Appointed Monaco Coach

Thierry Henry has been appointed as new head coach of Ligue 1 club Monaco, replacing Leonardo Jardim.

Sources told ESPN FC on Friday that 41-year-old Henry would sign a three-year contract, and he takes charge of the club at which he began his professional career until 2021.

The former Arsenal and Barcelona forward will officially begin work on Monday, the club said in a statement.

Henry, who joined Monaco as a 13-year-old in 1991 and won the Ligue 1 title at the Stade Louis II in 1997, told the club’s official website: “In the first place, I thank AS Monaco for giving me the opportunity to coach the team of this club, which is so special to me.

“I am very happy to come back to AS Monaco and extremely determined to meet the challenges ahead. I cannot wait to meet the players to start working together.”

Monaco vice-president Vadim Vasilyev added: “Thierry is both aware of the task ahead and eager to start his new job. He can count on our trust and all our support to bring a new dynamic to the team and carry out the mission.”

Henry had been working as an assistant to Roberto Martinez with Belgium and was on the bench for Friday’s 2-1 UEFA Nations League victory over Switzerland.

He had previously been linked with Aston Villa, who instead named former Brentford coach Dean Smith as boss on Thursday.